Jewels In The Crown: Duets With The Queen Of Soul  (Audio CD) 
by Aretha Franklin

Browse the assembled talent on this disc and you're bound to be wowed by the bold names--Hello, Frank Sinatra, George Benson, and Elton John--but anyone who's been listening to the Queen of Soul long enough knows even fellow legends often have cause to feel humbled in her presence. And it's interesting, but the duets collected here tend to work in inverse proportion to the fame of the collaborator: "Hello My Love" with Sinatra is so-so, though it's certainly not for lack of effort by the always-on Aretha, while "Put You Up on Game" with American Idol's Fantasia comes as a revelation; Fantasia could have been all crack-voiced and quaking in her spike-heeled ankle boots, but she proves up to the challenge. If the heavy hitters were cowed by the Queen's supremacy and it shows (it does), it's worth remembering that a lot of the recycled tracks here--the ones you'll most likely buy the record for, including the exceptional "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" with the Eurythmics and "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" with George Michael--more than make up for it. Also, three new duets--the one with Fantasia, plus one with John Legend, and one with Mary J. Blige--prove Aretha's becoming more selective with her singing partners. You might have expected at least one of them to stumble, but none does. The older Aretha gets, it seems, the less room she has on her chain of fools. --Tammy La Gorce