With Aretha Franklin taking it easy these days on the advice of Dr. Feelgood (get well soon!), others are keeping her name out there by issuing tunes inspired by the Queen of Soul. Earlier today, I introduced you to Rumer, whose “Aretha” name-checks the Detroit icon whose classic tunes comfort the young British songstress through some trying times.

On the opposite side of the tempo spectrum sits “Save Me” by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, a bonus track on the U.S. edition of History Of Modern, a brand-new studio album from the electro-pop group, which reunited in 2006. Featuring vocals by Aretha Franklin, the song synthesizes two tracks from each artist’s debut album. “Save Me” originally appeared on Aretha’s legendary first full-length for Atlantic Records, 1967’s I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, and is now married to OMD’s “Messages,” taken from the group’s 1980 eponymous entry and also their first UK hit single.

The resulting mashup is “electronic soul music,” as the robotic voice intones at the start and end of the revamped “Save Me.” It’s a brilliant piece of modern pop crafted from two classic tunes, and if this crazy world made any sense at all, “Save Me” would be climbing the charts. Hear here:

Indeed, Aretha Franklin is a national treasure, blessed with a distinctive voice that can inspire and uplift. I do find it curious that it’s taken two quite different Brits to remind us of her outsize talent, and hope it’s not too long before the Queen of Soul is back where she belongs, sharing a mix of the old and new.

Purchase OMD featuring Aretha Franklin – “Save Me” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.