Being there
I was lucky enough to witness Aretha perform in full gospel flow. It was at a charity event staged by VH1 in New York in 1998, on a bill that included Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan and Shania Twain. Her presence alone was monumental, bringing all her fantastic history to the stage with a sense of imperious entitlement. As the show drew to a close, the leading ladies gathered together (with special guest Carole King) to sing Natural Woman, each taking a verse. But with wicked one-upwomanship, Aretha shadowed their vocals. When Shania delivered lines low and sultry, Aretha’s voice delved down deeper and bluesier. When Céline hit those soaring high notes, Aretha headed for the stars. At the climax of the song, as the others were taking their bows, Aretha led her band into a spontaneous and unrehearsed gospel jam. Swaying about the stage with transparent pleasure, she began to testify for all she was worth, hollering, whispering, swooping and yelling through the full range of her vocal pyrotechnics. A quintet of the most famous women in popular music were reduced to glorified backing singers, fixed grins on their faces. The concert was billed as Divas Live but in the end there was only one diva left, basking in deserved adulation.