Through the Storm (Aretha Franklin album)

Through the Storm
Studio album by Aretha Franklin
Released	May 1989
Recorded	1988
Genre	Pop rock R&B
Length	35:16
Label	Arista
Producer	Narada Michael Walden Walter Afanasieff Arif Mardin Joe Mardin Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin chronology
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (1987)One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism1987 Through the Storm (1989) What You See Is What You Sweat (1991)What You See Is What You Sweat1991

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B+[2]
Msn Music	[3]
Artist direct	[4]

Through the Storm is the thirty-fifth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on Arista Records in the spring of 1989.

Despite the number 16 Billboard Hot 100 hit title track (a duet with Elton John), the album was not a commercial success; it reached number 55 on the Billboard 200. The follow-up single, "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be", a duet with Whitney Houston, failed to make the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 41. Other guest artists included James Brown, The Four Tops and Kenny G.

The album was remastered and re-released as an "Expanded Edition" in December 2014 by Funky Town Grooves, with bonus tracks and a second CD of material.^[5]

Track listing

Personnel

• Walter Afanasieff – keyboards (1, 2, 4, 5), synth bass (1, 2, 4, 5), drum programming (2, 4, 5), co-producer (4, 5)
• Kitty Beethoven – backing vocals (1, 4, 5)
• Chris Botti – trumpet (6)
• Margaret Branch – backing vocals (6)
• James Brown – lead vocals (1)
• Lincoln Clapp – engineer (1, 2, 4, 5)
• Marlene Cohen – art direction
• Brenda Corbett – backing vocals (6)
• Mike Davis – trombone (6)
• George Devens – percussion (7)
• David Foster – electric piano (7), synthesizer (7)
• Four Tops – vocals (8)
• Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, vocal engineer (1, 2, 4, 5), producer (3), acoustic piano (3), backing vocals (6, 7)
• David Frazer – engineer (1, 2, 4, 5)
• Siedah Garrett – backing vocals (2)
• Kenny G – saxophone (8)
• Greg "Gigi" Gonaway – cymbal (2)
• Reggie Griffin – guitar (6)
• Kenneth Hitchcock – baritone saxophone (6)
• Yogi Horton – drums (3)
• Whitney Houston – lead vocals (4)
• Rod Hui – recording (6), mixing (6)
• Mike Iacopelli – recording (3), vocal recording (6)
• Liz Jackson – backing vocals (1)
• Skyler Jett – backing vocals (1, 5)
• Elton John – lead vocals (5)
• Louis Johnson – bass guitar (3, 7)
• Melisa Kary – backing vocals (4, 5)
• Steve Khan – guitar (3)
• Darren Klein – engineer (8), mixing (8)
• Ren Klyce – Fairlight CMI programming (1, 2, 4, 5), additional keyboards (5)
• Jerry Knight – producer (8), bass guitar (8)
• Robbie Kondor – synthesizer (3), acoustic piano (6), additional synthesizer (6)
• Steve Kroon – percussion (3)
• Edie Lehman – backing vocals (7)
• Arif Mardin – producer (6, 7), arrangements (6, 7)
• Joe Mardin – producer (6), programming (6), sequencing (6), recording (6), mixing (6)
• Peter Max – front & back cover art
• Marti McCall – backing vocals (7)
• Sammy Merendino – additional drum samples (6)
• David Paich – acoustic piano (7)
• Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals (5)
• Norman Parkinson – photography
• Jeff Porcaro – drums (7)
• John Robinson – drums (8)
• Marc Russo – saxophone solo (1)
• Corrado Rustici – guitar (1), rhythm guitar (5)
• "Bongo" Bob Smith – drum programming (1)
• Kent Smith – trumpet (6)
• Andy Snitzer – tenor saxophone (6)
• Narada Michael Walden – producer (1, 2, 4, 5), arrangements (1, 2, 4, 5), Simmons drums (1), Prophet synthesizer (2), Roland synthesizer (2)
• Aaron Zigman – producer (8), keyboards (8), bass vocals (8)

References

1. ↑ Allmusic review
2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Through the Storm review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2015-05-03. 
3. ↑ Msn Music review
4. ↑ Artist direct review
5. ↑ "Through The Storm (2 CD Deluxe Edition)". FunkyTownGrooves.com. FunkyTownGrooves.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015. 
6. ↑ The fourth recorded version of the song by Aretha Franklin, which was originally included on Aretha Now and released as a single in 1968. Two different versions of the song were recorded for the Blues Brothers movie. Franklin lip-synched to one version in the movie, with a different version appearing on the soundtrack.
7. ↑ Remixed edition of song first released on Franklin's 1980 Arista debut, Aretha.
8. ↑ Originally recorded on the 1988 Four Tops album Indestructible, their sole release for Arista Records, which was also Franklin's label at the time.