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"Angel" is a soulballad recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. The song was co-written by Aretha's sister, Carolyn, and Sonny Sanders. Aretha co-produced the song with Quincy Jones and it originally appeared on Aretha's nineteenth album, Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) (1973). It was released as a single by Atlantic in June 1973 and went on to top the US R&B Singles chart for two weeks while reaching number twenty on the Pop chart. The single sold over 900,000 copies.
Record World predicted that it "should be a monster in no time at all."
Credits
Lead and background vocals by Aretha Franklin
Additional background vocals by Carolyn Franklin and Erma Franklin
Produced and arranged by Quincy Jones and Aretha Franklin
British soul and pop band Simply Red covered "Angel" for their first compilation album, Greatest Hits (1996), featuring an uncredited appearance by American hip hop group Fugees. It was released on October 28, 1996 by EastWest, as the only single from the album and reached number four in the United Kingdom. The song also appeared on the Set It Off soundtrack. Simply Red performed it on TOTP, and with Fugees on the MTV Awards.
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Jon O'Brien wrote that the song is "a surprisingly passable attempt at hip-hop lite." Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "rugged jeep-funk cover" and commented further that "this is far more street-oriented than Simply Red's previous efforts, and front man Mick Hucknall is pushed to deliver one his roughest and most forceful performances to date." He also noted that the singer "sounds convincingly hard alongside FugeeWyclef Jean's muscular guest rap". Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly noted Hucknall's "keening croon to the Fugees' smoky harmonies" and added that "this low-key pleaser exerts a romantic pull".
Kevin Courtney from Irish Times felt Fugees "put some street cool" into the cover. A reviewer from Music & Media wrote that Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel "bring out the best in Mick Hucknall on this hair-raising version", and "his voice can handle any soulballad on its own, but the unmistakeble Fugees beats and soulful snippets make this a great addition to the Simply Red Greatest Hits album." Alan Jones from Music Week deemed it "a blinding remake" of the Aretha Franklin song.
Track listings
UK CD1 and Australian CD single
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Angel" (Simply Red mix)
4:00
2.
"Angel" (Mousse T soul mix)
4:06
3.
"Angel" (soundtrack version)
3:39
4.
"Angel" (Wondrous Angel dub)
3:59
5.
"Angel" (Rubbadubb mix)
4:06
UK CD2
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Angel" (Mousse T. smooth soul mix)
3:53
2.
"Angel" (Simply Red mix)
4:00
3.
"Angel" (recorded live at Montreux with Quincy Jones and His Big Band)
Angel (UK CD2 liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. EW074CD2, 0630-16928-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Angel (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. 0630-17541-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Angel (UK cassette single sleeve). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. EW074C, 0630-16986-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Angel (European CD single liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. 0630-16986-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Angel (US CD single liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records America. 1996. 64223-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Angel (US maxi-CD single liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records America. 1996. 63990-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
