Lay It Down - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk
Few performers have ever been so inimitable as the Reverend Al Green, so it's no surprise that the starry young collaborators who join him on the superb Lay It Down simply let the man sing in the way he knows best, and make their own contributions fit around his. Despite the presence of such luminaries as John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae and the support of co-producers James Poyser and the Roots' Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson, this is very much Green's show. But although the smart production attempts to update his classic sound, Lay It Down recognizes and preserves its enduring strengths. ?uestlove's brilliant drumming perfectly recaptures the languid snap the late Al Jackson Jr. brought to Green's legendary seventies hits, Larry Gold's string arrangements are measured and minimal while crack guitarist Chalmers 'Spanky' Alford, on one of his last sessions, demonstrates precisely how to balance rhythm and detail (The album is dedicated to his memory). Songs like the elegant title track, where Green out-emotes the decades-younger Hamilton, "Take Your Time", a lovely deep soul duet with Bailey Rae, and the quietly propulsive closer "Standing In The Rain" are naggingly timeless, though there really isn't a weak track on this excellent record. Lay It Down is a gift from one generation to the man that inspired them.--Steve Jelbert

Album Description
Lay It Down with 11 tracks by Al Green. Friends laying it down with Al Green are Anthony Hamilton on the opening album title track and on 'You've Got the Love I Need'. Corinne Bailey Rae sings with Al on 'Take Your Time' and John Legend joins in on 'Stay With Me (By The Sea)'.

Customer Reviews: Read 65 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Exquisite, soulful, magical stuff. May 27, 2008
79 out of 80 found this review helpful

Al Green drafted in some soulful stars de jour for this project in the shape of Anthony Hamilton, John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae.
He also brought in hip-hop luminaries Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, from Philadelphia's the Roots, and James Poyser, another big name from Philly.
"With a cherry-picked backing band, which includes the Dap Kings horns (who feature on Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black"), the duo capture Green's familiar laid-back, orchestral groove, while also dropping hints towards "urban" modernism".- Andrew Perry
This should not lead you to think that this is an undignified musical hip transplant for the old master.
The rhythms, the jazzy chord progressions, the aching falsetto and the love-infused subject matter of these songs have much in common with the stellar tracks Green cut in the first half of the Seventies.
Inevitably, though, the songwriting itself can't match the quality of the classics now etched in our memory.
But this is still a fine product from a singer whose capacity to dazzle has barely waned in 40 years.
These arrive most noticeably via a trio of guest vocalists, Anthony Hamilton, John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae, who each wisely choose to complement, rather than attempt to outgun, their host.
Conceived as a way of uniting Green with a new generation of soul and R&B singers, "Lay It Down" might have been an embarrassing attempt to modernise an old star. Instead, the producer Ahmir Thompson of the hip-hop band the Roots has gone the other way.
The younger musicians have to fit in with Green's laid-back, slow-burning sound, in contrast to the excessive slickness of modern R&B. And while Corinne Bailey Rae sings with jazzy sophistication on Take Your Time and Anthony Hamilton shows how classic R&B can be updated on "You've Got the Love I Need", it's Al Green's voice, so full of humour and joy, that stands out.
The album proves that great soul music need not come at the cost of life itself.
Green's effortless yet ever-astonishing vocal flexings are, again, wrapped around some fabulous co-written songs.
The title track, "No One Like You", and the nimble "Just For Me" are exquisitely seductive.
On "What More Do You Want from Me", meanwhile, Green makes romantic desperation sound like a rather alluring condition.
"Now 62, Green has musical powers that still verge on the magical".
Whatever the commercial outcome, we have a five-star Al Green album on our hands.

5 out of 5 stars

Everything old is new again.. May 28, 2008
29 out of 46 found this review helpful

Reverend Al Green's back and he's sounding as good as ever. Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and James Poyser of the Roots produced "Lay it Down" and they're not messing with a good thing. They don't try to change up Green's backing arrangements or vocal stylings too much so this CD sounds like a 1970's classic Al Green recording.

Plus, they add some amazing new school performers to the mix, including John Legend, Corrine Bailey Rae, and Anthony Hamilton. The Dap Kings' horn section heard on both Amy Winehouse's and Sharon Jones' recent CD is here and adding amazing backing.

It's hard to name a favorite in this 11-song CD, but here are a few standouts:

"You've got the luv I need," is going to be used by men everywhere as a marriage proposal. Bet they stand a better chance of the ladies saying yes with Al on their side. Anthony Hamilton's pretty incredible as a backup--he almost steals the show, but is a consummate performer enough not to.

"Take Your Time" with Corrine Bailey Rae is a sweet, soulful number that plays just like the title promises.

"Stay with me (By the Sea)" adds John Legend into the mix.

Al Green really would not have to make another CD ever to keep his standing as one of the finest soul singers in the business, but I for one, am very glad he did. He's an excellent performer and it's good to see him still out there.

Rebecca Kyle, May 2008

5 out of 5 stars

Still laying it down May 27, 2008
18 out of 32 found this review helpful

The Reverend Al Green's latest is an 11 track CD co-produced by Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson of The Roots. Still in excellent vocal form, it is an album steeped in seventies soul; that lovely falsetto, stabbing horns, and lilting percussion, and sounding untouched by time. Despite ?uestlove's Hip hop roots (pardon the pun), the album sounds like it was recorded in the seventies.

He gets help from some of the current stable of Neo Soul vocalists on a few tracks; Anthony Hamilton on the tender opening Gospel-tinged title track "Lay it down", and "You've got the love I need", UK songstress Corinne Bailey Rae's jazzy vocals on the slow burning "Take your time", and John legend on the absolutely stunning "Stay with me (By the sea)" (lovely delicate vocals from the pair and great ethereal harmonies). The last pair are my favourites.

The lilting "Just for me" reminds me a bit of his classic "Let's stay together", "No one like you" is a beautiful ballad with sprinklings of horns and organ, "What more do you want from me" is a bit more upbeat, the piano ballad "Too much", the laid back semi acoustic ballad "All I need", the sunny, upbeat "I'm wild about you", and closing also on an upbeat note is "Standing in the rain" (with gritty vocals).

This album is great with excellent musicianship (great harmonies, guitars, horns and percussion), real soul music in an era where there are loads of pretenders to the throne.

4 out of 5 stars

Inspired and inspiring. August 5, 2008
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

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.

1 out of 5 stars

Al Green new album June 18, 2008
10 out of 24 found this review helpful

Very weak. Nothing special. Al Green is "mailing it in." Not a good addition to my collection.

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