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Title: Missing the point and ultimately lifeless
Review: Yes, Aretha's I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You was a milestone in soul music and a testimony to Jerry Wexler's genius as a producer and promotor. And yes, we all wanted to know exactly what happened in Muscle Shoals with the fiesty white trumpet player and Aretha (but can find out just as much by deduction from the Rhino CD liner notes). But this "book" is an really an extended New Yorker article with far too much focus on MLK's funeral and irrelevant context with Dinah Washington and Billie Hollday - just how many times do we need to know that wx-DJ Louise Bishop is now a member of the House of Representatives? Want to capture the excitement of the Wexler/Franklin sessions? Buy the DVD of Tom Dowd - it's cheaper and much more fun.
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