HYPE-STICKER on front. Double LP. Unopened/new vinyl, factory sealed, and in excellent condition. (Not a cut-out.)
Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of, by Aretha Franklin, is the first serious attempt at chronicling Aretha's RCA and Arista recordings since her stint at the label wrapped up. Knew You Were Waiting never attempts to disguise itself as something other than a retrospective of the Queen's last act and, by doing so, it makes a convincing case that Aretha's '80s work was pretty strong on its own merits. Most of the record is devoted to her work with Narada Michael Walden – the producer behind her smash 1985 LP Who's Zoomin' Who, he has credits on seven of the 16 cuts here, including the hits Freeway of Love, Who's Zoomin' Who, the George Michael duet I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), the Elton John duet Through the Storm, and the Whitney Houston duet It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be – and this crisp, synth-heavy soul-pop remains bright and cheery, having aged particularly well. So have the early-'80s quiet storm United Together, Love All the Hurt Away, and the two Luther Vandross productions Jump to It and Get It Right, all four sleekly appealing in their smooth surfaces.