As one might expect, Aretha Franklin's singing easily outclasses the rest. Stylish, soulful, and totally at ease, she can stretch from the reflective opening to "Natural Woman" to the gospel fervor of "Testimony" without ever sounding forced. It's no wonder England's MOJO magazine just recognized her as the greatest singer of all time, besting the likes of Sinatra, Gaye, and Fitzgerald in a poll of her peers. But there are signs of maturity in Carey, who sighs and shudders her way through the utterly unremarkable "My All," but later on the disc displays a new dynamic edge, appealingly free of histrionics. Hey, maybe one night with Aretha can turn all singers into natural women.
— Gary Graff (Wall Of Sound)
n April 14, 1998, five of the biggest female stars in contemporary music joined forces for VH1 Divas Live, a concert broadcast that became the highest-rated show in the cable network's 13-year history. On paper, it was an event of monumental proportions, with Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, and Shania Twain pooling their vocal talents and star power to raise money for "VH1 Save the Music," a national initiative to restore and support school music programs. On disc, while the scope of the event seems no less gargantuan, its impact is lessened somewhat. Too few of the performances are truly memorable, and without the visual spectacle provided by television, a number like the Dion, Estefan, Twain, and special guest Carole King rendition of "You've Got a Friend" comes off as unbalanced and overblown.
Fortunately, the kind of ostentatious oversinging that has given some of today's divas a bad name is largely absent from the affair. At worst, the entire cast shrieks a-plenty on a downright competitive version of King's "Natural Woman." But elsewhere, Dion delivers a remarkably restrained performance of "My Heart Will Go On," and both Estefan and Twain acquit themselves well—Twain, with her songs' smart pop hooks (especially "You're Still the One"), and Estefan, with the help of her band's exciting, percussion-driven grooves.