On August 17, the remake of Sparkle is being released featuring the late Whitney Houston. This was the last performance from Whitney Houston before her death. But if you are familiar with the original Sparkle, that included Irene Cara and Phillip Michael Thomas, it was known for the music. The soundtrack was done by the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin and produced by the late great Curtis Mayfield. But I will discuss the background about Sparkle as this blog progress. I decided to do this blog because I saw an article about top soundtracks and three soundtracks weren't one it. So as a music lover, I felt it was my duty to write about them. As you can see my favorite 3 soundtracks are Claudine, Sparkle, and Waiting To Exhale. These three soundtracks displays soul and passion at it's finest.
3. Waiting To Exhale
This Babyface produced album is legendary. This album can be called the "women's soundtrack" because with this album all songs were sung by women. In my opinion, the soundtrack fits the movie. The movie was about 4 women that go through heartbreak and how they conquered. And the soundtrack does the movie so much justice. But the funny thing about this album is that women SANG all the songs but a man wrote all the songs. Babyface might have gone through this situations because he wrote great songs. Nevertheless, this shows that men can also relate to this soundtrack because men experience heartbreak as well.
Now I knew about this soundtrack because this album has hits but I never fully listen to the album, I only knew the singles. Finally, one of my classmates in college was saying that the Waiting To Exhale is the best soundtrack of all time, I knew then I had to listen to it. The following Saturday came, and I had nothing to do, so I went to the store and brought me a bottle of a certain "spirit" and figured I would listen to this album. I think that was the best and the worse thing I could have done. This album was emotional so when you are full of the "spirit" it makes you think about your situation that you are dealing with. So, as epic as the album was I was in my dormroom crying on certain songs. But that crying show me that if a soundtrack can bring me to tears, it has to be epic. I was "Sittin Up In My Room" (dormroom that is) reminiscing. In addition, what I like is Babyface wrote each song for the right person, which the artist made the song theirs. From this album there are 5 songs that I always have to hear:
Aretha Franklin -It Hurts Like Hell
Whitney Houston- Why Does It Hurt So Bad
Mary J. Blige- Not Gon' Cry
Shanna- How Could You Call Her Baby
Whitney Houston/CeCe Winans - Count On Me
Now after listening to all these songs, they basically tells the story of the movie. The characters go through heartbreak and at the end they realize they could count on with other to get through it. I must say if you want an epic soundtrack this has to be in your collection.
2. Sparkle
This album takes me back every time I see it the cover. This album was the first 8 track that I pick out of my grandparents wall unit when my mother and I moved back north from her finishing her college education. Now this was the time I started falling in love with soul music. So, me as a 10 year old kid goes to this wall unit and see all these big cassettes and ask my mother "what are these big cassettes?". My mother responds as she laughs, "I am getting old but those are 8 tracks!" So, I see Aretha Franklin and pull that 8 track out and it's "Sparkle". So, I started asking my mother about this album and she explains this is the soundtrack to a 70s movie titled Sparkle. She then explains that Aretha's "Sparkle" was already done before the movie was done. Of course, I never saw the movie so I started asking questions. As a result, my mother rents the movie but I love Aretha's version so much more. I am not bashing the movie, because it's a classic but Aretha's version to me was more soulful than the movies version. And with Curtis Mayfield's legendary producing this album this album is legendary. Even though, I love all the songs on the album there are 3 songs that are my favorites. Even though there is 8 songs on the cd:
Look Into Your Heart
Hooked On Your Love
Jump
Now Aretha was SANGING on this album, I know you probably saying why was't "Something He Can Feel" on his favorite list. See I already knew about this song so when I finally heard the album these three songs became my favorites. But as I stated before I love the whole album. Now this leads me to the remake of Sparkle, I was a little nervous when I heard that Whitney Houston was remaking Sparkle back in 1999. I was thinking that this album and movie is tough to remake so if Whitney was going to do it she had to do it right. Then I found out Aaliyah was going to play Sparkle, I figured the movie was be fine but the soundtrack still worried me. But when Aaliyah passed, the movie was put on hold. Then in 2012 it was said that the movie started production with Jordin Sparks as Sparkle. After I heard that I said, well she does remind you of Irene Cara, so I said it could work. Then I said the only person that could produce the soundtrack to get that soul vibe is R. Kelly, because he is the closest to Curtis Mayfield we are going to get today. Next week, it's said R. Kelly was producing the soundtrack. I knew then that this can be a great remake like Dreamgirls. I haven't heard the soundtrack yet but with Curtis and Aretha leaving that legendary, R. Kelly has some big shoes to fill. But the original has to be in your soundtrack collection.
1. Claudine
Another Curtis Mayfield produced album, this soundtrack is my favorite soundtrack of all time. Not just because Gladys Knight is my favorite singer but with this album all the songs are my favorite. I remembering being 10 years old and first hearing this album I was floored. As I stated, me and mother moved back north after she graduated college and we used to listen to old soul and we couldn't find cassette with old music. As a result, someone told my mother about a guy that sells old music in Brooklyn on Belmont Ave. On Saturday, my family decided to take a ride out to Brooklyn so we can to go meet this guy. So, we went to Belmont Ave and we saw this brown van with this older guy. When we get up to the van, he opens up the van we see all these cassettes that included Tyrone Davis, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, etc. Me and my mother felt like we were in heaven. So my mother decided to get two cassettes "Claudine Soundtrack" & "Sparkle". When mom popped that cassette in I fell in love with this album at 10 years old and I still play it at 26. Gladys' voice on this album is just legendary. Since I have pick favorites I will chose 4 songs:
To Be Invisible
The Makings Of You
Hold On
Makes Your A Happy Home
Well I hope yall enjoyed my music journey through my favorite soundtracks, these albums in my opinion define soul at it's finest. Hopefully if you don't have these soundtracks, then maybe this blog can get you add them to your collection.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK?
