That one of the greatest gospel albums of all time is by an artist known more for her soul and R&B hits is no coincidence. Aretha Franklin was raised in the church where her father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, was the minister and, when she was only 12, her first manager. She grew up intimately familiar with the potential of live performance, of commanding a room with her presence, and of allowing herself to become a vessel or a medium for something greater. So when she released Amazing Grace in 1972—years after hits like “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” and “Think” had already made Franklin a household name—it was a bona fide star returning to her origins, a homecoming of sorts. 　　Recorded at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, Amazing Grace exemplifies the power of not just live music but gospel music, which has a particular dynamism in live settings. At its best, it's an exchange between artist and audience heightened by a shared spi...