For the month of November, I’ll be selecting songs in conjunction with the music Twitter challenge: #WelcomeToTheOccupation.

In the last 10 -20 years, there has been a proliferation of cover songs. Bands that made careers out of writing original material have also turned to this trend. Now, the art of the cover has been around forever, of course. As long as great music has existed, bands have sought to recreate the magic in their own way. But it’s rare when the cover is better than the original. Aretha was a talent that achieved this not once, but multiple times – including her rendition of “Son Of A Preacher Man”.

The queen of soul gave us hundreds of memorable recordings, and her rendition of “Son of a Preacher Man” is one of my favorites. While she didn’t write it, it was written with her in mind. “Preacher Man” played perfectly to Aretha on two key fronts: vocal range and her soulful swagger. Not to take anything away from Dusty Springfield’s version, but Aretha sung it like she lived it. You can hear it in her delivery.

“Being good isn't always easy, no matter how hard I try.”