Vs. Battle: Today I Sing The Blues: Aretha Franklin vs. Brenda Holloway

Two incredible versions, done by two amazingly young singers. So who sung it better? Aretha recorded her first version in October 1960 in New York when she was 18 years old for Columbia Records. Brenda Holloway recorded her version in May 1964 when she was only 17 years old in Los Angeles, California for Motown Records.

Aretha's version is a mix of soul, blues and gospel. Brenda's version is soul, pop and Motown at it's best.

Aretha recorded two version of the song, the one in 1960 was released as a single from her first album at Columbia and made the R&B Top 10. Aretha recorded a second version in 1969 while signed to Atlantic Records.

Brenda's version was recorded just weeks after the release of her very first 45 at Motown, Every Little Bit Hurts, and is an outtake from her lone solo album for the label by the same title. Brenda's version, incredibly, went unrelease for 50 years. Incredibly.

So who did it better?

https://youtu.be/BX8wqVz_WOI

Aretha's version from 1960.

https://youtu.be/ja20WWg5r-o

Tough call but as much as I love Brenda Holloway's work at Motown, I'm voting for Aretha's version of "Today I Sing The Blues".

I'd have to go with Aretha on this one.....

Brenda's is fine, but I love Aretha's version.

What I find so compelling about Brenda's version is that it's so not mid-60's Motown, especially when you look back at what Motown was releasing in 1964. When I first listened to Brenda's version I just didn't get it and it didn't click until about the third time I heard it. Aretha's version is exactly what you would expect from her - soulful, bluesy and you can definitely hear the gospel in her voice. In fact it actually sounds more like her Atlantic recordings than her Columbia recordings. It's right in her wheelhouse and she nails it.

When I was finally able to get past the fact that Brenda's version doesn't sound like Motown, it is none the less electrifying and soulful and an incredibly recording. There's a point in the song at the 2:03 mark where she cries/shrieks "But right NOW I'm singing the blues" and she completely delivers the song. In my opinion It's on par with her recording of Every Little Bit Hurts and the emotion that she puts into that song. I don't think there was another singer at Motown, male or female, who could have nailed it the way that she did. It sounds like it was produced by Clarence Paul, but it was actually produced by Marc Gordon and Hal Davis.

Aretha. Forever The Queen.

Yeah, as wonderful and talented as Brenda is...Aretha owns this and always will. Don't forget she's playing the keys on it as well. Her re-recording on Atlantic's Soul '69 shows what 9 years of life experience can do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItXPHM_M5wo

I believe the story is "Today I Sing The Blues" is the first recording Aretha completed for Columbia -- as a teenager. It is astonishing in every respect, no other recording or re-recording has come close to her original recording. She was the Queen of Soul from that moment forward even though it took several years for her to have a hit and be acknowledged as such.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SatansBlues

What I find so compelling about Brenda's version is that it's so not mid-60's Motown, especially when you look back at what Motown was releasing in 1964.

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I find that a lot of Brenda Holloway's work at Motown lacks that Classic Mid '60s Motown Sound since a lot of her songs were recorded in L.A. without the Funk Bros. house band. And yes indeed; Brenda always puts a lot of emotion into whatever song she sings.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Motown Eddie

I find that a lot of Brenda Holloway's work at Motown lacks that Classic Mid '60s Motown Sound since a lot of her songs were recorded in L.A. without the Funk Bros. house band. And yes indeed; Brenda always puts a lot of emotion into whatever song she sings.

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I tend to see it as Brenda having two recording bodies of work; her LA recordings and her Detroit recordings. I think her LA recordings had more of a "pop" feel to them [[I hear a similar sound in Marvin Gaye's mid-60s LA recordings as well and the Supremes). Frank Wilson also produced her in both LA and Detroit. Her recordings with Marc Gordon and Hal Davis sound as if they could have been done by any LA or NY record company. I don't really hear classic Motown in most of their productions. They seem to experiment more with her sound and the types of songs that she recorded. They did record some nice songs together.

I do wonder if the arc of Brenda's career at Motown would have been different if she had moved and lived in Detroit. She was only 17 when she signed with Motown and had just graduated high school when Every Little Bit Hurts was climbing the charts so I understand why she didn't move to Michigan. But I think it would have probably benefitted her career greatly if she had. I could have seen her writing more songs and being more of a presence in Detroit I see Berry and Smokey having paid more attention to her and her career.

Aretha goes for the hooks and it makes the song better

Aretha and Diana were the 2 artists, more than any others, that go for the hooks and pockets