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From:Al Green , Blue Note Records ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#645 |
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11 of 12 customers found the following review helpful:
 Inspired and inspiring., 2008-08-05
For "Lay It Down", Green chose to work with The Roots' ?uestlove instead of longtime producer Willie Mitchell (who has worked with Green since 1970's "Green Is Blues") in an openly recognised bid to direct his classic soul sound towards the tastes of today's youth. But fear not - his collaborations with John Legend, Corrine Bailey Rae, and Anthony Hamilton do not dilute any of Green's majesty. In addition to these well-known collaborators, The Dap-Kings, currently known for their work with talented soul singer Sharon Jones, provide a wonderful backing for Green's impassioned singing
These days, 62-year-old Al Green combines his gospel preaching with recording, writing and touring his secular music.
Praise the Lord, soul's sweetest voice is on imperious form here, either on his own or alongside young bucks John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae and Anthony Hamilton, the finest vocalist of the current soul crop.
The album's title track kicks off 11 songs of rich sounding contemporary soul. Smooth strings interject in a call-and-response styled chorus and Green sweet-talks his way through the verses: "Really, I just love you for yourself - I don't want nobody, no, no, no, nobody else!" When you get through close to five minutes of preaching on the song, you're convinced that the king of soul is telling the truth.
Yet this is no tribute album, no attempt to drag a 20th-century icon into the 21st century. Instead, the guests - especially The Roots, who provide most of the musical backdrop - let Green soar.
And soar he does, be it on the sumptuous title track, the funky "What More Do You Want From Me?" and "Take Your Time", where Bailey Rae turns in the most sultry, slow-burning performance of her career.
The horns start to play a more important role on "Just For Me", as they replace supporting lines with more ear-catching riffs. And although all the songs on "Lay It Down" flaunt a mid-tempo soul structure, there are interesting differences in the timbers present in the different tracks.
A muscular rhythm section takes hold of "You've Got The Luv I Need" and "I'm Wild About U", while guitars dominate "No One Like You" and a piano features prominently in "Too Much".
Much of the lyrical style here is simple and direct. It works perfectly for Green, as you can sense his emotions through his vocal intonations, which is, of course, a main pillar of classic soul music. Combined with ?uestlove's attentive production work and the variety provided from his collaborators, Green's latest work flourishes.
Though it adds no innovation to the genre, "Lay It Down's tried-and-true approach should appease longtime soul fans. And hopefully the album will reveal Al Green's majesty to a whole new generation of fans in the way he intended through his collaborations with contemporary artists.
 Vintage and Amazing Al Green!!, 2008-08-04
This album is outstanding because it is vintage Al Green in 2008. What a treat. I call it triple S--spiritual, soulful and sexy. The music, singing, appearances by guests such as Anthony Hamilton, Corinne Bailey Rae, and John Legend make the album even more special. This is truly one of a kind from a musical giant and legend and definitely should be added to one's collection. We are humbled.
Al Gerrn--Lay it Down, 2008-08-02
Al Green is at his '70's best on this cd. Very fair price and good delivery time. I truly enjoyed listening to it.
1 of 1 customers found the following review helpful:
As good as any of the Post-70's Al Green releases, 2008-08-01
The only guest appearance that matters is Anthony Hamilton 'layin down' a nice flow on a couple of tracks. I like this set as much the last two releases if not a little more. Al Green has that same smooth post-seventies sound he brought back with his release 'I Can't Stop' and continued on 'Everything's OK'. If you dug those, you'll dig this one as well and vice versa.
All Green back with a bang, 2008-08-01
This is a fantastic CD from AL Green. It is heavy on the guest involvement, but does not suffer for that. Al is in good voice here, clearly feeling himself and does a great job. Also enjoyable are the hints of his older, classic works, embedded in some of his vocal delivery and phrasings. There is lots of good material here and I am sure the live show with this material would be well worth the time!
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