Aretha Franklin

Where to be

Ronnie Scott’s Gospel Choir Led by Daniel Thomas
October 4, 2pm and 8pm

When I headed to the newly refurbished Upstairs at Ronnie’s recently to see the venue’s Gospel Choir for the first time, I’d seen very little gospel performed live and wasn’t sure what to expect. I ended up having a fantastic time, and as the choir returns this Sunday, Soho is my place to be this week.

Upstairs at Ronnie’s is on the first floor of Ronnie Scott’s. With a capacity of only 140, its intimacy is perfect for the show.

At the centre of it all is Daniel Thomas. He is the musical director, pianist, vocalist and gig’s host all at once, combining exceptional musical talent with a personality that captivates the audience. He moves effortlessly between humour, conversation and music, controlling the energy as he goes.

Early in the show he said: “We are not preaching to you; we are sharing our faith with you.”

Faith is, of course, at the heart of gospel music, and while the choir’s belief gives the music much of its emotion and energy, you certainly don’t have to be a believer to appreciate the show. The set moved through traditional and more contemporary gospel alongside familiar favourites from a variety of other genres.

Thomas is joined on vocals by Annette Bowen, Louise Chambers, Aaron Sokell and Lorrain Briscoe, whose voices together are superb, with Freddie Thompson on bass and Westley Joseph grew up around Camden and Islington on drums. The choir returns this Sunday for shows at 2 pm and 8 pm. If you’re busy this weekend, they have more dates available throughout December for a series of Christmas-inspired shows, and they’ll also return to the venue in 2027.

Artist to check out

Mavis Staples [Marsha Miller]

Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples is an artist whose mark on the world has stretched far beyond her music. She began performing as a child with The Staple Singers, a gospel group closely associated with the Civil Rights movement, performing at rallies alongside Martin Luther King Jr and producing songs such as Freedom Highway that described the challenges they faced. Now 86, she continues to record and perform, and even played at Islington’s Union Chapel this summer. Both her music and her story deserve to be remembered and retold.

Album to check out

Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You

For this week’s record, I wanted to pick one of the many artists whose work has been directly shaped by gospel. I quickly landed on Aretha Franklin.

Franklin first began attracting attention singing in the church where her father was a minister, and gospel remained an important influence throughout her career.

Her live gospel album Amazing Grace would have been an appropriate choice considering the rest of this week’s picks, but I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You deserves mentioning first.

Released in 1967, the album moves through love, heartbreak and everything in between. Franklin’s vocal range throughout is simply superb, and there’s little argument over her place among the greatest singers of all time. Whether you know her music well or not, this record is worth sitting down with from start to finish.