Here at The Cambridge Club, we love Aretha Franklin (how can you not?!). And along with the entire music world, we were deeply saddened by the news of her death.

To celebrate her genius, from teenage recordings to collaboration with John Legend 50+ years later, here are Aretha’s biggest, finest hits – plus a few deeper cuts for the real fans…

You Grow Closer – 1956

This track was put onto audio tape live when young Aretha was just 14 years old (the noise of the congregation at the function is still audible over her voice and piano if you listen closely). Aretha Franklin’s debut album, ‘Songs of Faith’, remains a genuinely haunting – but movingly beautiful – document of a big part of her life in her father’s New Bethel Baptist church.

I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) – 1967

When Aretha moved to Atlantic, her new record company opted for simplicity. “They just told me to sit on the piano and sing,” she recalled of their first session at Alabama’s legendary Fame Studios. When asked to sing a Blues song, Franklin responded with ‘I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)’ – a perfect example of her amazing ability to transform extreme pain into stunning beauty. Background story aside, her career was changed for ever in the space of three minutes of genius in 1967.

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – 1967

After the move to Atlantic, Franklin became hugely prolific; the sheer number of timeless classics she created in her first year with the label alone is simply incredible. Just four months after a little song called ‘Respect’ went to number 1, she released ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’. Because of its staggering and ubiquitous success, it’s easy for us all to forget how extraordinary the vocals are. The sweep from the measured verse into the soaring chorus is one of the most sublime moments in music.

Spirit in the Dark – 1970

Aside from her vocals, Aretha didn’t receive the plaudits she deserved in other areas of her career. She contributed far more to her records’ arrangements than the credits on them suggest. Despite writing everything – from vocal harmonies to drum breaks – she did not get a single producer’s credit until 1972. Because her biggest hits were usually cover versions, her talent interpreting others’ work overshadowed her own writing. The most successful track from her 1970 album ‘Spirit in the Dark’ was her take on ‘Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)’ – but it is arguably surpassed by the self-penned title track, a masterpiece former from a melting-pot of influences. The sound is pure gospel, the lyrics suggestive of more earthly pleasures. Enjoy:

It’s Gonna Get a Bit Better – 1979

‘La Diva’ is widely as the low point of Aretha’s Atlantic years. An attempt to jump on the already-fading Disco trend that didn’t quite work out, the record never sold well. But that isn’t the whole story. A lot of the Disco-influenced tracks are far better than its reputation suggests, and amid the slightly clichéd dance-floor beats and extravagant orchestration, there are some proper Funk tracks – including this cracking version of Lalomie Washburn’s ‘It’s Gonna Get a Bit Better’. This song proved that, although her music had lost the reliable self-confidence that defined her golden era, Aretha could never, ever be written off.

What Y’All Came To Do – 2007

Despite struggling with health problems in her final years, Aretha was still capable of creating some sublime musical moments. Sometimes she did that in full view of the media – as evidenced by her extraordinary live performance of ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ in 2015 – and other times, in the most unlikely of places. ‘Jewels in the Crown’ was meant to be just a record company compilation of Franklin’s duets, but it contained this standout track – a raw and fabulously funky collaboration with John Legend. ‘What Y’All Came To Do’ may just be the best work of this one-of-a-kind talent’s twilight decades.