You've been known for reviving the careers of longtime acts who'd been in slumps – Aretha, Manilow, Rod Stewart. Who would you pick now?

You know who I'm thinking? Aretha again. She's still singing fabulously. And to have her do an album of divas' greatest hits – songs by Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington, and moving up to date, to maybe Alicia Keys or Adele songs. To hear Aretha sing these great classics, with hopefully Danger Mouse and Babyface producing – that's a fun project. She's signing her contract next week.

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Aretha Franklin’s Next LP: ‘Great Diva Songs’ With Danger Mouse, Babyface, Clive Davis Says
By Melinda Newman, Los Angeles | February 08, 2013 2:44 AM EST

The original diva, Aretha Franklin, will tackle music from other divas on her next album, Clive Davis told Billboard.biz on Thursday.

“[We’re going] to do an album of great diva signature songs and hear that voice, that incredible national treasure voice of all time” sing classic songs, he said while giving interviews about Saturday’s Pre-Grammy Gala and Grammy Salute to Industry Icon honoring Antonio “L.A.” Reid at the Beverly Hilton.

Franklin announced last March that she and Davis, Sony Music’s chief creative officer, were reuniting to work together again, but hadn’t revealed the nature of the project. The two legends first worked together in the ‘80s, when Davis helmed Arista Records, on such hit albums as 1982’s “Jump To It” and 1985’s “Who’s Zoomin’ Who.”

On the new project, which Davis said the pair will start working on “in the next month or two,” Franklin will cover songs made famous by the other great female artists of the last several decades.

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Danger Mouse, who recently worked with Norah Jones, will co-produce the album with Davis; it will be released on RCA.

“Whether it’s Billie Holiday or Dinah Washington, whether it’s Whitney Houston, whether it’s Alicia Keys, whether it’s Adele, whether it’s Ella Fitzgerald, we’re going to find the great, great diva songs and put an original arrangement on them and just hear the Queen of Soul go forth,” said Davis, who was honored at Billboard's Power 100 event in Los Angeles Thursday night, said.

She may not have quite the number of years of experience as Franklin, but Jennifer Hudson is also on Davis’s radar. He tells Billboard that he is determined to make her a superstar on her third album.

“I came here from a meeting with Ne-Yo,” he said. “I encourage the great songwriters to know she really is a triple threat. I don’t just want urban adult songs. We want signature hit songs for Jennifer.”

Aretha Franklin Talks Working With Andre 3000, Covering 'Rolling In The Deep'

The legendary singer says of her new covers album, "We're going to give you exactly what you're expecting and what you're not expecting."

Aretha Franklin is "more than happy" with the progress of her upcoming divas covers album, but she acknowledges that with five songs done, a sixth in motion and four more to go the squeeze is on for its proposed September release.

"Well, Clive is concerned, but we're on it. We are ON it," Franklin tells Billboard, referencing Clive Davis, who's executive producing the set. She's been recording so far with Babyface and Daryl Simmons, while OutKast's Andre 3000 is stepping in to helm the last four tracks after Don Was had to bow out due to schedule conflicts. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be fun working with (Andre 3000), just watching his videos and things," Franklin says. "It should be fun. And, of course, they all come with great music, so I expect that."

Franklin has so far cut renditions of Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia," Barbra Streisand's "People," Donna Summer's "Last Dance" and Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It," with Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" up next. "I love all of them, the original versions," says Franklin. "(Davis) picked the songs and I approved or didn't approve, so it's just an easy CD to do because I liked all of them." And, she adds, fans can expect plenty of Queen of Soul flavor on each of the songs.

"(The originals) are classic versions and we're certainly aware of that, and we're going to do them justice," promises Franklin, who recently received honorary degrees from New York University and Harvard (her third from the Ivy League). "People are different, you know? What they did is not what I'm going to do, and what I'm gonna do is not what they did. That's just what makes it different. You won't be disappointed; we're going to give you exactly what you're expecting and what you're not expecting."

Franklin's other main project at the moment is a biopic that's been making headway in recent weeks. During a recent visit to New York she met with the Lifetime channel and is also in talks with potential producers about coming on board. "We're very, very close to signatures on one agreement," Franklin reports. "It's just a matter of our coming to terms and agreeing about what we're doing to do." That hasn't stopped Franklin from thinking about who will portray her, however.

"Right now it could be one of several people," she says. "There's always the producers' book, who the producer wants you to consider, and sometimes unknown names." Leading her list now, however, are Jennifer Hudson and multiple Tony Award winner Audra McDonald.

"Audra's got a great voice to work with, but she's very Broadway oriented," Franklin notes. "but that doesn't mean she cannot perform in the arena of soul, so that's why I'm interested in hearing how she would sing my things. The singing is certainly going to be a very, very integral and important part of it."

With last year's health issues behind her, Franklin is back to a regular tour schedule. She next performs June 28 at the Ottawa Jazz Festival and has dates booked into September.

Aretha Franklin Will Drop “Surprise” Album on 9/30 with Sensational Adele Cover

In the year of the surprise album (Beyonce, U2) comes the nicest one of all: Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, will drop her first new album in many years on September 30th courtesy of Clive Davis. Seems impossible but even as we speak Aretha has finished her vocals, Babyface and a few others are working with Clive to finish the mixes, the album art is done and pr whiz Theola Borden at RCA-Arista is revving up the media.

Aretha make a historic appearance on David Letterman on September 29th to announce the album. And she will sing the lead single, which will blow your minds. I heard it today. Aretha has recorded her own spectacular version of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Yes, that “Rolling in the Deep.” And with all respect to Adele, which Aretha gives, this version of the song is jaw dropping. It swings and rocks.

Adele, mind you, is learning about this right here. None of the writers or singers whom Aretha has covered got advance word.

They will know it when Aretha hits the Today show October 3rd. In between, on October 1st, she and Clive appear in a Q&A at the 92nd St. Y that is going to be jammed with media. It’s already sold out.

The album is called, tentatively, “Aretha Franklin Sings Songs of the Great Divas.” It’s a tribute to ten different women, with Aretha re-interpreting their songs. Babyface and Andre 3000 are among the producers. Clive is executive producers. They all came up with the songs together.

The tracks are completely brilliant, and a breath of fresh freaking air. If you thought Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Annie Lennox, and Barbra Streisand were going to be Grammy favorites, add Aretha to that mix, and stand back.

Right now, Clive and the team are speeding toward a 9/30 release to make the Grammy deadline. If nothing else, it will go digital that day. Physical CDs will follow immediately.

So many things to say here: the long fruitful collaboration between Aretha and Clive is summed up in this stunning collection. Plus, the Queen of Soul has never sounded better. Her unique and imaginative phrasing breathes new life into songs she always wanted to record, and has sometimes sung in concert. Davis’s passion for the music, and for Aretha’s career, is not only unabated, it’s more fervent than ever.

The song choices, curated by Clive, Aretha and Babyface, include “Teach Me Tonight,” which Phoebe Snow re-popularized in the 70s, Gladys Knight’s “Midnight Train to Georgia,” Alicia Keys’s “No One,” Barbra Streisand’s classic “People,” Whitney Houston’s (and Chaka Khan’s) “I’m Every Woman, as well as a cover of a Supremes hit, Etta James’s “At Last,” Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” and Sinead O’Connor’s “No One Compares 2 U.”

The songs have been recharted and rearranged, re-orchestrated in some really cool ways. This isn’t just a “covers album.” It’s our premiere singer recording songs she’s loved and hasn’t had a chance to do. It’s important for that and so many reasons. Plus, we get to hear a lot of Aretha playing the piano, which is always a treat.

I am floored. I was invited up to Sony today by Clive, who said: “I want to play you some of Aretha Franklin’s new tracks.” I thought they were for an album in the future, like February. He’s 82, and is playing the music so loud you can hear it down 35 floors and across the street at the Hickey Freeman store. He’s also playing Jennifer Hudson’s new album, and showing me videos for the Whitney Houston live DVD coming November 11th. I’m asking to turn the volume down! This is what the music biz used to be like. You say Amazing, but you have no idea.

My bet: radio will be blaring the new “Rolling in the Deep” the minute it breaks as if it were a new song. Very, very clever.