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87 of 88 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exquisite, soulful, magical stuff., May 27, 2008
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.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inspired and inspiring., August 4, 2008
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.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hmmmm..........., June 26, 2008
Is he really laying it down? Uh,,,,,I'm not sure actually. Sure this has the trademark Al Green sound and isms that did the business back in the day, and it's good to hear all that again, but to be fair, the strength and quality of many songs isn't really what I'd prefer to have Al wrap his tonsils around. Is there a monster track on offer? Hardly. It's a pleasant enough album, but then I go, wait a minute, this is Al Green, cmon dude. Is there a Let's Stay Together, a I'm Still In Love With You, a Back Up Train, a Love And Happiness, a Have You Been Making Out O.K., even a Judy on offer? (I could go on obviously, I mean this IS Al Green) Well they are nowhere to be found. Again, it's all riiiiiight, but Lay It Down is not a playlist staple on my ponderosa. Having said all that, I do like the title track, and love the groove of both I'm Wild About You, and Standing In The Rain, and upon reflection, feel this trio may indeed have sat well with the aforementioned tracks on those great albums he was making. However, I'll go back to his earlier stuff when I've got to get my Al on, or I need to remind the young uns what real music is all about.
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