Release and Reception
Prior to releasing the album's first single, Franklin made headlines for two stand-out performances at the Grammy Awards in February 1998. The first was her 1967 classic, "Respect", which she sang in a renewed version inspired by her role in the sequel to The Blues Brothers, she later present a Grammy. Minutes later, just seconds before Luciano Pavarotti was to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, Pavarotti called in sick. Struggling to find a replacement, Franklin opted to fill in as she had sung for Pavarotti weeks earlier. Franklin later said it took thirty minutes to get prepared for the performance and the singer admitted having fright over how the performance would go. Franklin's worries were unfounded when she performed "Nessun Dorma" in Pavarotti's musical key. Her performance won a standing ovation.
Shortly after the Grammy performance, the title track was quietly issued to radio stations in the late winter of 1998. The title track was produced by Hill, who also provided background vocals. The song's lyrics focused on a wiser woman giving advice to a younger woman going through relationship problems and self-identity issues. With a modern soul production by Hill and a vocally rejuvenated Franklin, who began singing in her higher register again after years of singing in lower registers due to declining vocals brought on by years of chain smoking, the song also was given its own video, which gained heavy rotation on BET. The video featured not only Hill but other modern female soul artists, who were admittedly influenced by Franklin including Faith Evans. The single became a success upon its release and crossed over to pop radio where the song peaked at #26 on the Hot 100 marking the forty-fifth top 40 hit of Franklin's long career. The album was issued in March 1998, a month following Franklin's showstopping Grammy performance.
The album brought in a successful performance, peaking at #30 on the Billboard 200 and #7 on the R&B chart. Though the album failed to produce additional Top 40 hits – the follow-up "Here We Go Again" (produced by Jermaine Dupri) peaked at #76 on the Hot 100 and #24 on the R&B chart. The album itself sold well enough to give Franklin her first Gold album in twelve years. As of July 2002, the album has sold 390,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Read more about this topic: A Rose Is Still A Rose
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