Aretha Franklin’s Iconic Legacy and the Underrated Gems For Your Playlist

Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul for a reason. Most people know her for “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Yet her catalog goes far deeper than those classics. And that’s where a lot of listeners miss out.

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She grew up in the Black church, and you can hear that fire in almost everything she recorded. But as her career stretched across decades, she didn’t stay in one lane. Instead, she moved from gospel and blues to funk, pop, and even hip-hop‑flavored R&B. So when you only hit the biggest singles, you lose the full story.

Take songs like “First Snow in Kokomo” or “Try Matty’s.” These tracks feel like short stories wrapped in soul, with Aretha painting vivid scenes through her voice. Then there are deep cuts like “River’s Invitation” and “Pullin’,” where the band digs into a heavy groove and she rides on top like a preacher at the pulpit. They may not be karaoke staples, but they show her range in a powerful way.

Later in her career, she kept evolving. For example, tracks like “Here We Go Again” and “Holdin’ On” with Mary J. Blige prove she could step into a modern sound without losing her roots. So, when you build an Aretha playlist, it’s worth going past the obvious.

Here’s a 15-song Aretha deep-cut playlist that stays away from the usual “Respect” / “Natural Woman” canon and leans into underrated gems.