It’s Aretha Franklin’s birthday. She’s got a party in New York tonight, and then two dates in the tri-state area. She is still the Queen of Soul, with a catalog that shows her immense range and diversity as the greatest singer of our time. No one comes close to matching Franklin’s tone and delivery although there some amazing singers out there. No one working today will ever match what Franklin’s done in part because they simply don’t have the songs, the hits, the arrangements. There’s no “Respect” for Beyonce, or any of the others. How many of Aretha’s records just make you want to start dancing in your car, in your seat, down an aisle in the grocery store? Here are just a few gifts she’s given to us: