[Denver]

Soul queen Aretha Franklin has revealed that she plans to retire this year - but she isn't going out quietly.

She made the announcement while talking to Detroit TV station Local 4, where she said that she is making one last album with none other than Stevie Wonder.

"This will be my last year. I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it," Aretha explained, before she spoke about the new album, which is expected to be released in September.


"Of course, several of the songs are going to be produced by Stevie [Wonder], and of course there's only one Stevie, right?" she outlined. "It's kind of multi-[directional]. We're not pigeonholed to any one thing."

The album will be recorded exclusively in Detroit and all the songs will be originals.

"I'll be pretty much satisfied, but I'm not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn't be good either."

Aretha has spent 56 years in the music industry, winning 18 Grammy Awards and selling more than 75 million records, not to mention singing at three presidential inaugurations for Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

She even made Obama cry with a stunning performance of iconic track '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' during the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015.

Her 40th studio album, and most recent, saw Aretha cover the likes of Alicia Keys's 'No One', Etta James's 'At Last' and Adele's 'Rolling In The Deep' for Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics.

http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news...stevie-wonder/