Lay It Down [Vinyl]

Al Green | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (May 27, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B0017XFP6S
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,471 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Lay It Down

2. Just for Me

3. You've Got the Love I Need

4. No One Like You

5. What More Do You Want from Me

6. Take Your Time

7. Too Much

8. Stay with Me (By the Sea)

9. All I Need

10. I'm Wild About You

11. Standing in the Rain

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite, soulful, magical stuff., May 27, 2008

By 

lovebeauty (San Diego,CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lay It Down (Audio CD)

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.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still laying it down, May 27, 2008

By 

Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Lay It Down (Audio CD)

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.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything old is new again.., May 28, 2008

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lay It Down (Audio CD)

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