(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman: SSAA Choral Octavo

Deke Sharon's arrangement captures the infectious warmth and vocal sophistication that made this Aretha Franklin classic legendary, while the SSAA voicing opens the piece to choirs that might not have explored it otherwise. The arrangement respects the song's soul roots without requiring your singers to impersonate a legend; instead, it gives them permission to make the piece their own. It's the kind of repertoire that reminds audiences why they love a cappella singing.

Warm, grounded, and celebratory. The arrangement wraps Carole King's melody in rich vocal harmonies that feel intimate even at full volume, creating that specific satisfaction of close-harmony singing where each voice matters to the whole.

Women's choirs looking for contemporary a cappella repertoire with real substance. Directors who want material that feels current and accessible without sacrificing musicality or emotional depth.

• Anchor the groove in your rhythm section voices. The second soprano and alto parts establish the pocket here; lock them together early in rehearsal so the sopranos can float freely above.
• Let the text breathe. This is an affirmation song, not a race. Space out phrases so the lyrics land with genuine warmth rather than breathless energy.
• Balance your voicing carefully in the homophonic sections. Since all four parts often move together, uneven blend will expose every voice rather than creating a unified sound.
• Commit to the style markers. Swing the rhythms slightly where the arrangement suggests it; that small elasticity is what separates a polished choral read from an authentic soul arrangement.

Place this in a concert set alongside other contemporary a cappella pieces, or program it as a standalone crowd-pleaser that bridges classical and popular repertoire. It works particularly well in spring concerts where you're building toward lighter, more joyful programming.

• Singing in tight jazz harmony voicings while maintaining individual line independence
• Stylistic control within a cappella soul and R&B idioms
• Balancing groove-based rhythm with legit choral tone production
• Shaping phrases for text expression rather than conventional choral phrasing