Aretha Franklin released the album “Lady Soul” in 1968.
Atlantic Records issued the album on January 22, 1968, making it Franklin’s twelfth studio album and one of the defining recordings of her breakthrough period. Although most of the songs were recorded in 1967, the release year is 1968—the detail this question tests.
“Lady Soul” followed Franklin’s landmark album “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You” and continued her partnership with producer Jerry Wexler. Its songs included “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “Ain’t No Way.” The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B album chart.
A common mix-up comes from the recording dates: sessions ran from February through December 1967, but the album itself was released in January 1968. It is therefore not a 1967 album, despite much of its production taking place then.