November
2008
:: PopWire ::
Al Green is always touching up his work
PopWire: News, Reviews and Commentary
by Walter Tunis
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)
18 November 2008
"Man, I wish the Derby was going on while I was there,” said the Rev. Al Green of his upcoming performance in Kentucky. “We could go out and put some money on those horses. But seeing as I’m a preacher, I’d have to keep my bets to $2.50.”
Following such a modest proclamation was a vocal trait almost as endearing and distinctive to Green as his singing: laughter.
It came like a cloudburst - quick, explosive and transforming. Almost without realizing it, you find yourself laughing with him.
“Hey, man, when I sing For the Good Times,” he said, referring to the Kris Kristofferson song he refashioned into a soul hit in 1981, “it means ‘for the good times.’ It don’t mean for the bad times. It means we’re going to make the most of our time together. We’re going to make it work. We gotta make it work because it’s getting pretty late in the game, baby.”
One can’t help but think the Rev. Al has his next Sunday sermon in mind when he talks like that. After all, the veteran soul singer with the killer falsetto has been an ordained minister in his adopted hometown of Memphis for more than 30 years.
But “late in the game” seems also to reflect the secular side of Green’s life and music. Two days before our conversation, he was winding up a European tour in support of “Lay It Down.” The recording is the third in a series of critically lauded albums for the Blue Note label that have set Green back on the path of the earthy, upbeat soul he explored during the early ‘70s. Green’s hits from that era with producer Willie Mitchell - “Let’s Stay Together,” “Tired of Being Alone,” “Love and Happiness,” “I’m Still In Love With You,” “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” and many others - came to define one of the final golden eras of American soul music.
“Every house we played over there was rocking,” Green said of the European tour. “But this music is my life, man. I’ve been doing it ever since I came to Memphis and met Willie Mitchell in ‘70 or ‘71. We’re gonna do what we do wherever we go.”
But “Lay It Down” is the only one of the three Blue Note albums - 2003’s “I Can’t Stop” and 2005’s “Everything’s OK” were the others - that did not have Mitchell at the helm. Instead, Green co-produced Lay It Down with Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson of The Roots. He also enlisted new-generation soul stars John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae and Anthony Hamilton.
While they summon more of Green’s ‘70s muse than material on the other Blue Note albums, the songs on “Lay It Down” were hardly premeditated. In fact, he wrote the bulk of them with Thompson and several collaborators after recording sessions had begun.
To set the scene, Green keeps his distance to offer a third-person perspective of his work at the sessions.
“If you had a picture of Al at the recording sessions, he would be sitting on the floor,” Green said. “Everybody else would be around him - the organ player, the drummer, the bass player. They’re all in a circle around him.
“That first night we got together, we wrote eight songs. I was talking to Willie about that. He thought that was astounding. So I asked if he liked the album. He said, ‘Of course, I like it. My only problem is I didn’t get to produce it.’ But he wished me well, hugged me and said, ‘Hey man, a fine album.’”
What “Lay It Down” shares with the preceding Blue Note records is Green’s boundless vocal exuberance. At 62, the gleam and fire of his falsetto and the sheer jubilance of his phrasing haven’t diminished. The singer says he takes care of himself, walks 3 ½ miles every morning and again, “at a very brisk pace,” in the evening.
“I’m still striving to be the best,” Green said. “The girl singers in our band say, ‘What are you trying to do when you’re out there onstage singing that hard?’ I say, ‘I’m trying to perfect something.’ And they’ll go, “Perfect something? This music was perfected when you cut it.’”
With that, the laughter pours out again like a waterfall.
“I guess my music is like an oil painting. I just try to touch it up - a little blue here, maybe a little red or white. I just want to perfect it so when I’m done with it, I can say, ‘Now I can sign my name at the bottom of it and present it.’ That’s it.”
When asked whether he had a favorite song among those paintings, Green fell silent momentarily before using audience reception on his recent North American and European tours as a gauge.
“Whether it’s overseas or in America, it’s going to be ‘Let’s Stay Together.’ On that one, everyone stands, everyone sings and everyone dances. And then Al comes out and throws flowers and roses everywhere (reviews of Green’s recent shows attest to the latter). It’s just a song that makes everyone come together.”
Of course, when Al Green, soul superstar and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, isn’t touring the world, he remains the Rev. Al to the members of Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis. But while concert audiences and church congregations might approach his music with different forms of devotion, Green says spiritual and secular followings are more similar than either realize.
“Man, I find life similar,” Green said. “And I always will. If we look at ourselves, we will find we have more in common than our differences. Take both groups and put them together and you have the answer because if you smile, the whole is going to smile with you. But if you’re a crybaby, well, you’ll just be crying by yourself.”
:: Weekly Dig ::
Al Green
By Isabelle Davis
The greatest Southern soul singer of all time. The man responsible for many conceptions. The 62-year-old reverend with a flawless falsetto. The crusader of love and happiness. The legendary Al Green.
YOUR VOICE HAS NOT CHANGED A BIT. HOW DO YOU KEEP IT IN SUCH IMMACULATE CONDITION?
Well, those are nice words you're using now, Ms. Davis, but I don't know, I don't do anything. I didn't give it to me, so I don't really know how to keep it. All these songs I didn't give to me either, so I kinda, like, don't know.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE GUESTS FOR THE NEW ALBUM?
We planned to do a duet album. That was a plan. But Justin Timberlake was in Australia, there were other folks that were on tour in Canada, so they couldn't do it. And the very people that we didn't think could do it, like John Legend, just so happened to be in New York. I don't really know how this stuff came to be.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT A LOT OF YOUR SONGS IS THAT NOT ONLY COULD THEY BE ABOUT THE LOVE OF A PERSON, BUT IT COULD BE A LOVE FOR A HIGHER POWER.
How could anybody say, for instance, if you use it metaphorically, "Take me to the river, wash me down." That's about somebody higher than somebody who just simply says, "I love you and I'll see you after dinner."
YOUR DAUGHTER SINGS BACKUP. WHAT'S THAT LIKE?
She's a sweetheart. Valisa, too, is a friend of hers—I'm real proud of them. Because this is my daughter, and this is Valisa, and Valisa is a member of the church also, and my daughter is a member of the church also, and I'm the pastor of the church also, and therefore we on the road also, singing "Love and Happiness" also.
WHAT'S IT LIKE IN MEMPHIS WHEN YOU'RE NOT TOURING? ARE PEOPLE STILL STARSTRUCK?
Well, I live in Memphis. So living in Memphis, people give you your space. But [laughs] they'll follow you to a restaurant. They love you and "I don't wanna impose, but could you sign the back of my T-shirt?" And I'm like, "You got the T-shirt on!"
:: Rolling Stone Magazine ::
:: Fader ::
September
2008
:: AlGreenMusic.com ::
Since
the May 27 release of his chart-topping and critically lauded Blue Note Records
album, Lay It Down, it has been a whirlwind year for legendary soul and R&B
icon, Al Green. With Lay It Down, Green has delivered the highest debuting record
of his accomplished career since his 1972 classic, I’m Still In Love With
You.
On
September 10, Green is set to appear again on “The Tonight Show” with
Jay Leno. This will be Green’s second performance on the popular late night
program this year. In May, Green performed for the “Summer Concert Series."
Other late night TV appearances followed with the “Late Show with David Letterman”
in June and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” in August.
Green
became the recipient of the 2008 BET Lifetime Achievement Award and gave a well-received
performance at the BET Awards in June. He then embarked on a worldwide tour that
included his first show ever at New York City’s famous Carnegie Hall. In
September, his U.S. tour will hit Los Angeles, where he will Lay It Down at the
Greek Theatre on Saturday, September 20. Then he will take off on a European tour
throughout October and November.
July
2008
:: 
Jet
Magazine ::
Soul music icon Al Green returns with an amazing comeback and new chart-topping
CD Lay It Down. Thirty years after bringing us classic tunes such as Love and
Happiness and Let’s Stay Together, the 62-year-old R&B legend talks to
Jet magazine about how he landed on top of the charts in today’s fast-moving,
youth-oriented music industry. “I am shocked. I’m very excited about
it. It’s a comeback,” Green said, when asked about the success of the
new CD, which features talented, new-school R&B, soul and hip-hop musicians
including John Legend, Anthony Hamilton, Corinne Bailey Rae, and The Roots.
Green also
spoke to Jet magazine about how his 1971 breakout hit Tired of Being Alone is
the perfect description of his personal life. The father of six and grandfather
of four says that he is searching for that special someone and hopes to find her
soon. “I would love to get married again,” he said. (p. 40).
Click
Here for Jet Magazine
:: AlGreenMusic.com ::
The
above photos were taken by photographer John Shearer at a recent Al Green performance.
You can view the rest of the photos on John's site @ ShearerImage.com
:: Los Angeles
Times ::
Watching
Al Green sing live should be on any list of "Things to Do Before You Die."
So it was understandable that at the rehearsals the day before Tuesday night’s
BET Awards, pre-show buzz revolved not around much-anticipated performances from
ballyhooed superstars like Lil Wayne, Usher, Kanye West and Rihanna, but rather
on the 62-year old soul legend, whose creative prime was once thought to have
ended with Watergate.
Indeed,
on Tuesday afternoon, the Shrine Auditorium lived up to its name, with Green and
the Lifetime Achievement Award he was set to receive the next night, dominating
dialogue between performers and producers.
"The
highlight for me would be getting to see Al Green perform. It'd make my day,"
Queensbridge rapper Nas said. "I want him to sing 'Love and Happiness.' "
Click
Here for full article
June
2008
:: 
Blue
Note Records ::
AL
GREEN MAKES FIRST-EVER TOP 10 DEBUT OF HIS CAREER WITH LAY IT DOWN
SOUL
LEGEND’S NEW ALBUM ENTERS BILLBOARD CHARTS AT #9;
CONTINUES TO EARN
WIDE CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"The
soul legend teams up with The Roots for his best disc in decades."
—Rolling
Stone
It’s
only half over, but 2008 has been a whirlwind year for legendary soul and R&B
icon, Al Green. With his new album, Lay It Down,
released May 27 on Blue Note Records, Green delivers the highest debuting
record of his career, charting at #9 on the Billboard Top 200
chart and at #4 on the R&B/ Hip-Hop chart this week. It’s Green’s
highest chart position since his classic I’m Still In Love With You peaked at #4 in 1972.
Lay
It Down has also galvanized the critics, who’ve unanimously agreed
its Green’s best effort since the 70’s. The New York Times declared, “Of course it’s Al Green, seemingly unchanged by any trend,
who owns this moment; he remains the beacon to which everyone else on ‘Lay
It Down’ genuflects,” while Entertainment Weekly said, “Al
Green’s just-released Lay It Down is a startling return to form
for the soul great.” And it doesn’t stop there. The Wall Street
Journal, Time, Newsweek, Parade, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, NPR and a slew of others
have given Lay It Down glowing reviews. Green performed on the “Tonight
Show with Jay Leno: Summer Concert Series" on Wednesday, May 21, and will perform
on the “Late Show with David Letterman” on Thursday, June 5.
But
the minister of L-O-V-E is no stranger to accolades throughout his career. Green
has won nine Grammy Awards, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame,
the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall Of Fame, and is the recipient
of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
:: 
Paste
Magazine ::
"I was sitting on the bed in my pajamas, on the phone with the publicity
president at Blue Note, and we were talking about doing a duet album. But there
was just so many people wanting to duet that there was too many to duet with.
"
Over
the past three decades, Al Green has proven a master of transformation. In the
early ’70s, he helped reinvent Southern soul with his lush ballads. By the
latter part of the decade, personal tragedy steered him from secular music to
the church—though not before he released transitional masterpiece The Belle
Album, a revelatory explosion of spiritual soul.
Click
Here for full story
:: 
BET.com ::
Despite his longstanding career, Al Green is still history in the making. The
new album (Lay it Down) comes three years after his last CD, Everything’s OK,
released in 2005. Proof positive that Al Green isn’t finished with his musical
contributions.
Spanning
four decades, Green’s career is still in full swing. In the early 1970s, Green
solidified his place in R&B by dropping some of the best music of its time. His
hits transcended him from R&B singer into pop icon. Then, in 1976, Green added
Gospel music to his resume, and since 1979 has led his Memphis-Tennesee Baptist
congregation, the Full Gospel Tabernacle.
But
Gospel music had always been a big part of Al Green. He had been singing since
he was 9 years old, forming a gospel quartet with his brothers, called The Greene
brothers, in their hometown of Forest City, Arkansas. But by 1969, Green was ready
for a solo career and signed as a solo artists to Hi Records. This is when Al
Green found that dynamic voice and really got to utilize his other musical talents.
He is a talented songwriter, singer, reverend, who is famous for his unique brand
of soul music.
With
classic records such as “Let’s Stay Together” and “Love and Happiness,” Al Green
has one of the most impressive discographies in R&B history. He says, "The music
is the message, the message is the music. So that's my little ministry that the
Big Man upstairs gave to me—a little ministry called love and happiness."
:: 
Chicago
Tribune ::
Al Green shows his disciples a few old tricks --- and they still work After two
decades of devoting himself to gospel and his ministry in Memphis, Al Green returned
to secular themes and soul music in the mid-‘90s. The comeback hit full stride
when he reunited with producer Willie Mitchell for two old-school R&B albums,
“I Can’t Stop” (2003) and “Everything’s OK” (2005). Neither eclipsed his greatest
work with Mitchell from the ‘70s, but both affirmed that Green’s supple voice
could still melt hearts.
His
latest album, “Lay it Down” (Blue Note), pairs him with admirers from contemporary
hip-hop and R&B: Anthony Hamilton, Corrine Bailey Rae and John Legend take turns
dueting with The Voice, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and James Poyser of the
Roots produce. Thompson and Poyser don’t do anything radical; instead they consciously
echo classic Mitchell-Green productions with simmering grooves embroidered with
horns and strings.
Click
Here for full story
:: 
NPR ::
And now, a conversation about love.
Soul
singer Al Green has spent his entire career trying to spread the love. Green became
famous singing love songs in the 1970s, with hits like "Let's Stay Together"
and "Tired of Being Alone." In the '80s, he shifted to gospel and released
several religious albums.
Now,
Green has shifted back to secular music, as displayed on his latest record, Lay
It Down. But instead of working with his old-school Memphis rhythm section, he's
teamed up with younger artists. The drummer ?uestlove of hip-hop outfit The Roots
co-produced the album, which features guest appearances from contemporary singers
John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae and Anthony Hamilton.
The
music, however, is still vintage Al Green. He spoke with Michele Norris about
recording the new album.
Click
Here for full audio interview & more
Click
here for old news
