Of course, that’s the Capital R kind, as the word would take on new meaning as the title of the first song on Aretha’s first Atlantic Records album, her breakout record, after 10 previously released by Columbia. Did you know “Respect” is actually Otis Redding’s song? Yeah, try telling Aretha that. In 1967, you can imagine a lot of women found a whole lot to agree with in the Queen of Soul’s admonishing rendition. And a lot of ‘em in 2017, too.

Speaking of respect, I’ve never shown this album it’s just due, even though Rolling Stone calls it the 84^th best ever. I’ve always been a fan of its major hits – “Respect, “Dr. Feelgood,” “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” – but I somehow failed to realize the glorious sum of its parts. Till last week, that is, when KEXP played every track in honor of International Women’s Day and the album’s 50^th Anniversary.

Having spent that day with the album, and at least one full listen every day since, I can honestly say I’m a better man. There’s so much life lived in these 11 songs – filled with hope, love, pain, fear, and faith. And soul. Holy God above, does it have soul – so much so, that the album basically defined the genre as the perfect mix of gospel, rock, and R&B.

Take a deep long listen to the album, and you’ll glean the meaning of the songs, and how they relate to your own masculine development. It’s particularly noticeable on “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”; you’ll never take a women’s power and humanity for granted again. And bonus, you’ll be hard pressed to ever hear better backing tracks than those laid down by Aretha’s sisters, Carolyn and Erma Franklin, along with Whitney’s mom, Cissy Houston.

But it’s not just one song, or even the many hits, as I so foolishly thought. It’s the whole thing – that moment in time, 50 years ago, when Aretha could no longer be tamed, and indeed roared. It was her first opportunity to truly express herself musically, and reveal the ferocious and tender Queen she was born to be. And Respect must be paid.

The post Wanna Be a Better Man? Study Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You’ appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

So when I initially rejected KEXP, it wasn’t because I don’t like new stuff, which is what you get a healthy dose of at the station, albeit with plenty of old-school gems mixed in. It was mostly because the listener-powered public radio station is in Seattle.

And every time my co-worker in L.A. would implore me to listen, I’d give in, and somehow feel guilty, like I was in Seattle and rejecting my sunny L.A. public radio stations KCRW and KCSN, both of which are perfectly good.

“When I moved up to Seattle for a couple of years, I was in dire need of friends, and KEXP thankfully found its way into my life. I was soon enjoying breakfast with The Morning Show host John Richards, who didn’t just play the Seattle Sound, but also dropped deep cuts from hip hop to punk to indie to classic country.”

But when I moved up to Seattle for a couple of years, I was in dire need of friends, and so KEXP thankfully found its way into my life. I was soon enjoying breakfast with The Morning Show host John Richards, who didn’t just play the Seattle Sound, but also dropped deep cuts from hip hop to punk to indie to classic country. All this while making me genuinely laugh and educating me on all the bands, old and new, and where I could see them.

Since I work to streaming music all day long, Cheryl Waters would inevitably come up next for The Mid Day Show, and she’d frequently have an in-studio guest to play a short set and share an insightful Q&A – most of which are impeccably filmed and archived for streaming. And of course I’d have to stick around for The Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, who used to D.J. private parties for Prince. And then there’s the specialty shows that go professorially deep into genre—rockabilly on Shake the Shack, twang/country on Swingin’ Doors, and reggae with Positive Vibrations, just to name a few.

One of the reasons KEXP is so special is because it is “listener-powered radio,” as you’ll hear on many of the station’s promos. Because of this, they can play whatever the fuck they want, as long as they keep getting supported by benefactors, all of whom seemingly enjoy the 40-plus DJs’ vast curated selection as much as I. This allows KEXP the great privilege of pivoting; if an artist dies, for instance, then there is nowhere better to mourn along. Or if Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize in Literature, you can expect a healthy dose of “here’s why.”

Being listener-powered also allows KEXP to have specialty programming, where they’ll take a day to deep-dive into a special song or album. Like when they spent the day playing all the references in “Losing My Edge,” or a sample-by-sample breakdown of the Beasties’ Paul’s Boutique, or De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising.

Those are hard days to get work done though, because you spend so much time looking at the live playlist to find out what new band you’re hearing. But for any true music fan, the loss of productivity is more than worth it.

image via RadioFacts.com

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