Album Retrospective: "Sparkle" by Aretha Franklin

"Sparkle" by Aretha Franklin album cover
The next album retrospective is "Sparkle" by Aretha Franklin.

On Monday 1st June 2026, this album turned fifty (50) years old.

Music from the Warner Bros. Picture "Sparkle" is a soundtrack album and twenty-fourth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, written and produced by Curtis Mayfield. Released on June 1, 1976, the disc is the soundtrack album for the 1976 Warner Bros. motion picture Sparkle, starring Irene Cara. The songs on the soundtrack feature the instrumental tracks and backing vocals from the film versions, with Franklin's voice taking the place of the original lead vocalists.

This album returned Franklin to Gold status after two low-selling albums With Everything I Feel in Me (1974) and You (1975). The first single release, "Something He Can Feel", was a No. 1 R&B hit for her and reached No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it was Aretha's only pop Top 40 hit during the second half of the 1970s. "Something He Can Feel" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards in 1977. The album itself reached the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 album chart and was certified Gold for US sales of over 500,000 copies. In 2009, it was reissued on Rhino Records' budget Flashback Records label. The songs "Something He Can Feel" and "Hooked on Your Love" were covered by En Vogue on their 1992 multi-platinum hit album Funky Divas while "Look Into Your Heart" was covered in 1994 by Whitney Houston, who later co-starred in a 2012 revival of the original film. Excerpt taken from Sparkle (1976 soundtrack)

Here's my review of each track on the album!

1. Sparkle 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 / 🔥

2. Something He Can Feel 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 / 🔥

3. Hooked On Your Love 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 / 🔥

4. Look Into Your Heart 🌟🌟🌟🌟

5. I Get High 🌟🌟🌟

6. Jump 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 / ❤️‍🔥

7. Loving You Baby 🌟🌟🌟

8. Rock With Me 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Album Rating: 8️⃣ ▪️ 5️⃣ / 🔟

"Sparkle" by Aretha Franklin album tracklist

What are your overall thoughts on the album? What are your favourite songs from the album? Let me know in the comments section!



Listen to the album here:

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