Wow, these journalists will bend over backwards and perform a variety of other contortionist feats just to slap FM in the face:
This is an excerpt from a Guardian Unlimited article on Aretha Franklin:
http://music.guardian.co.uk/vinylwor...216118,00.html
Franklin is an example of the "overnight sensation" who had actually been around for years, toiling in obscurity, before finally hitting the big time. In this she resembles contemporaries such as David Bowie, who tried out various styles before making his mark, and the Bee Gees, who had already had two careers - as innocuous child pop stars in Australia and as arty Beatles clones in America - before winning the fickle public's heart with their sassy disco manifestation. The arc of Franklin's career also bears some resemblance to the path taken by George Benson, who set aside a career as an honoured but little-known jazz guitarist to become a trailblazing vocalist in the remunerative, if vile, smooth-jazz genre, and
Fleetwood Mac, who started out as the best white blues band ever before deciding to become Fleetwood Mac. Unlike them, Aretha never made a fortune by being bland.