Soul versus pop, casting one’s lot

TO paraphrase a soul classic, I guess there just ain’t no way Ann Powers could praise Diana Ross without giving the backhand to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. In her otherwise wonderful article on “Dreamgirls,” Powers writes provokingly of the fatal plot flaw of musically pitting the Deena character and the Effie character against each other.

The myth that the musical and movie plays on is the idea that Florence Ballard was the “real” singer in the Supremes but Diana Ross was more palatable to “white” record-buying America. I agree with Powers that Ross has always had a great musical talent, and her early recordings with the Supremes more than survive the test of time.

The soulfulness of Effie’s character in “Dreamgirls” had to be at least partly inspired by Franklin. And Powers writes of her as being part of the soul connection between Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige and “ ... most of the wailing ‘American Idol’ bunch.”

As a lifelong Aretha-phile, I take offense at the use of the word “wailing” in a sentence about Aretha. She is the Queen of Soul because she sings from the deepest part of her being. Ain’t no way the Queen ever wailed.

TOM O’LEARY

Los Angeles

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YOU’RE totally right. They should have rewritten the screenplay for “Dreamgirls” so that Deena was more of a strong, competent woman like the real Diana Ross. Jamie Foxx’s character was a lot crueler and more manipulative than the real Berry Gordy. They should have rewritten that too.

I found it improbable when the characters broke into highly choreographed song and dance numbers in the middle of the action. I doubt that Ross and Florence Ballard did that in real life.

Guess what? It’s a movie musical about a fictional girl group, not a documentary about the Supremes.

Don’t like Deena’s story? You’re welcome to write an equally fictional story from her point of view.

STEVE SOBEL

North Hollywood