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Al Green

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The title of Al Green’s Lay It Down truly tells it like it is. Conceived as a collaboration between the soul legend and a handful of gifted young admirers from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip hop, the album is drawn from a series of inspired sessions that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green’s latter-day career. The album is a refreshingly old school jam, with everyone laying down the music together, face to face, heart to heart, soul to soul. The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop’s most innovative players, drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser, the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common. Add in Brooklyn’s celebrated Dap-Kings Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers “Spanky” Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you’ve got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business. “The reason why we are doing this is because we all idolize Al Green,” declares ?uestlove. “Even today, nobody has range like him.” Green himself envisioned this project as a way to reach out to younger artists, particularly in the hip hop community, to find common musical ground and help spread his healing message of, as he likes to put it, “L-O-V-E.” He gamely plunged into the world of the Roots and their posse, cutting tracks with them in New York City. His youthful collaborators took this as an opportunity to get right into Al’s head, turning the sessions into a master class about how to create that sublime Al Green sound and keep it relevant for today. As Green explains: ”They didn’t want to get too far out from the foundation that [Hi Records producer] Willie Mitchell and I built—‘Call Me,’ ‘I’m Still In Love With You,’ ‘Let’s Stay Together.” That’s all good, they said, but we want to play what we hear you being about in 2008. We want to keep all of the aura, but we would like to have freedom enough to spread our wings and express ourselves. The Roots, all the guys from Philly who came up to do this stuff with us—they were incredible. I could relax because I knew the people were capable. Everyone was coming up with ideas, everybody was pitching in, everybody was helping.” It all began in 2006. ?uestlove and Poyser arranged for a get-acquainted session at Electric Lady Studio in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. As Green recalls, “That was such a session. We sketched out eight songs and really started the project. We were just spitting out songs right and left; there’s no possible way I could write them all out. I was writing the verses to this one, the bridge to that one. Everybody contributed and that’s why it feels so good. There were no big ‘I’s and little ‘you’s in there. All of us dreamed it up together.” That date provided basic tracks for nine out of eleven tunes. Subsequent recording took place over the next two years to accommodate the artists with whom Al wanted to work. Each session replicated the feel of that first one, with the players swapping ideas, grabbing pads and pencils to furiously scribble lyrics, singing out snatches of melodies, passing along riffs. Green himself vocalized many of the parts that the strings and horns would later play. He admits, “That’s the only way I know how to work, that’s what I’ve done all my life. You just write it from here.” He taps his heart. “That’s what we do every Sunday. We never write a sermon now. If you can’t preach out of here”—tapping his chest again—“you have nothing to say anyway. It’s all from the heart, this whole album, from start to finish.” “It’s an honor to be able to work with Al Green, who I have always loved and respected,” says John Legend. “He has been an important part of black music history, and pop music history for that matter. Al really is a magical singer.” Legend had come in to sing on one track the band had worked up, but then heard an unfinished version of “Stay With Me (By The Sea),” a song Green had been developing with Bailey Rae. Legend immediately knew that one was meant for him. That song illustrates the cooperative spirit that distinguishes Lay It Down. ”John is singing it, I’m singing it, Corinne and I are singing the background,” Green explains. “We’re all included. It’s personal, about my own life, but still everyone can feel what I’m talking about.” Green was especially impressed that Bailey Rae flew all the way from London to sing with him. She was just honored to be there: “I was really drawn in by Al's voice; it’s so distinct, and so fluid.” After she arrived, Green recalls, Corinne went straight to work: “She’s a tiny little thing with a big guitar. She’s just playing and singing and the musicians went to sit in, the drummer, the bassist. She wrote a verse, then I wrote a verse and we both worked on the bridge.” In fact, Green insisted that Bailey Rae start it off, performing in her warm, intimate style the verse she’d just written. Hamilton and Green perform gospel-style testifying over the slow-burning groove of the title track, and the pair engages in fierce call and response on the funky chorus to “You’ve Got the Love I Need.” “It feels good when you listen to him,” Hamilton says of Green, and Green returns the compliment: “On his records, Anthony is always singing about pleasing and satisfying his lady—I want you to be happy, I want us to be together. I’ve been preaching for 30 years and I said, that’s right, the more we need each other, the less difference we see between us. You have to take a chance on love. I know there are some hateful people in the world that would break your heart in an instant. But the big man upstairs is saying you’ve got to take a chance. It’s better to love and be heartbroken than never to have loved at all.” Looking back on these collaborations, Green decides: ”I couldn’t ask for any more than what Corinne, Anthony and John put into the album, because they came and they sung their heart. And when a person does that, I’m going to give you the best I feel too.” But he offers us even more on the final track, “Standing In the Rain.” The arrangement is an ebullient update of classic Memphis soul and the words convey the sort of message that the Reverend Al would like to leave all of us with, from the young listeners about to discover him to the loyal fans who’ve followed him all these years. “’Standing in the Rain’—that don’t mean good times,” Green explains. “I’ve got afflictions, I’ve got trials, I’ve experienced all the things that can hold you back. But I refuse to be held back.” Lay It Down is surely testimony to that. Al Green may occasionally sing about his own tribulations, but mostly he wants to offer the answer to ours: L-O-V-E is all you need.

Latest bulletin 10.21.08

Al Green Tops The Charts on Blender Magazine's BEST ALBUMS OF 2008 LIST!

In the last 12 months, the editors of Blender have listened to an estimated 6,380 CDs, not to mention EPs, MySpace demos, and Lil Wayne mixtapes. After careful consideration and an embarrassing amount of arguing and crying, we have compiled our list of the 33 best CDs of the year (as well as the 144 best songs). -Rob Tannebaum, Music Editor Blender Magazine

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Al Green on NPR All Things Considered May 29

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Oct 21, 09:12 AM

Al Green Tops The Charts on Blender Magazine's BEST ALBUMS OF 2008 LIST!

In the last 12 months, the editors of Blender have listened to an estimated 6,380 CDs, not to mention EPs, MySpace demos, and Lil Wayne mixtapes. After careful consideration and an embarrassing amount of arguing and crying, we have compiled our list of the 33 best CDs of the year (as well as the 144 best songs). -Rob Tannebaum, Music Editor Blender Magazine
Jun 25, 08:31 AM

Al Green video from BET Awards

Did you see Al Green on the BET Awards? Well if you didn't, Al recieved the Lifetime Achievement Award. The BET Awards re-airs on BET on Friday, June 27 at 7:30pm. Please check local listings and see the links below to view video performance footage from the show.

"Let's Stay Together"

http://www.bet.com/Specials/BETAwards08/betawards-videos/beta_video_performances.htm

"Love and Happiness"

http://www.bet.com/Specials/BETAwards08/betawards-videos/beta_video_performances.htm

Lay It Down is available in stores and online now.
Jun 09, 10:49 AM

Al Green Performance Video from Letterman

Did you see Al Green perform on Letterman? No? Well, then watch the video here ( link from Brooklyn Vegan).

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/06/al_green_played.html#morehtm
Jun 05, 09:42 AM

Al Green on The Late Show with David Letterman Tonight

Al Green will be appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman (CBS 11:30pm ET/PT) tonight- Thursday, June 5th. Al will be performing "Lay It Down," the title-track from his recently released album from Blue Note Records.

The lead guest on the show tonight is Julia Roberts. Please check local listings for channel and times.

Lay It Down is available everywhere now. The iTunes Store is offering an exclusive bonus track "Wanna Say." Amazon.com has a behind-the-scenes video of the making of Lay It Down.

http://www.algreenmusic.comco
http://www.bluenote.comco
Jun 04, 09:03 AM

Al Green Makes First-Ever Top 10 Debut of his Career with Lay It Down

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.
Jun 03, 01:06 PM

Al Green to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor at BET Awards

AL GREEN TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONOR AT BET AWARDS JUNE 24 AND TO PERFORM AT CARNEGIE HALL ON JUNE 27!
"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." -New York Times (5/25/08)
It's only half over, but 2008 has been a whirlwind year for legendary soul and R&B icon, Al Green. His new album, Lay It Down, released May 27 on Blue Note Records, has galvanized critics who've unanimously agreed its Green's best effort since the 70's. And now, the minister of L-O-V-E is being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's BET Awards airing live on June 24 from Los Angeles. Before the award is even warm in his hands, he'll be in New York City to headline Carnegie Hall for the first time, on June 27, as part of JVC Jazz Festival. It's been a longtime dream of Green's to perform in this hallowed hall.
The Village Voice "Summer Guide 2008" picked up on Al's dream come true: "On June 27, as part of the JVC Jazz Festival, Green will bring some of Lay It Down to Carnegie Hall, his first time performing there. Fans should be thrilled if Green delivers a set like the one he gave at last year's JVC festival in Newport. "Al wasn't good," says veteran Newport producer George Wein. "He was sensational.'"
The New York Post declared "...Green himself still has something to teach the young folks about soul."
"As for Green, his voice sounds as though it's been preserved in amber, with the ordained minister still blessed with a limitless register that he gainfully employs throughout the record's 45-minute length."
- Los Angeles Times (5/27/08)
May 29, 08:14 AM

Al Green on NPR All Things Considered

A feature on Al Green on NPR's "All Things Considered" has just run. Check out the interview, some tunes and more. The new Al Green release, Lay It Down is available in stores and online now from Blue Note Records. Lay It Down on iTunes features an exclusive bonus track.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90890527
May 27, 12:39 PM

Lay It Down now available on iTunes

Al Green's LAY IT DOWN is now available in stores and online

Click here to purchase the CD

Download LAY IT DOWN now on iTunes to get the exclusive bonus track "Wanna Say"
May 19, 10:46 AM

Free Download with Lay It Down Pre-Order at FYE.com

The title of Al Green's Lay It Down truly tells it like it is. Conceived as a collaboration between the soul legend and a handful of gifted young admirers from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip hop, the album is drawn from a series of inspired sessions that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green's latter-day career. The album is a refreshingly old school jam, with everyone laying down the music together, face to face, heart to heart, soul to soul.

The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop's most innovative players, drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser, the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common. Add in Brooklyn's celebrated Dap-Kings Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers "Spanky" Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you've got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business.

Special Pre-Order Gift from FYE.com. Pre- Order Lay It Down now and you will receive a Free MP3 Download of "What More Do You Want From Me!" You will receive your Download Code and instructions to redeem within 48-72 hours after your order.

Pre-Order here:

http://www.fye.com/Lay-It-Down-Music_stcVVproductId41356867VVcatId458211VVviewprod.htm
May 08, 11:09 AM

Al Green to release Lay It Down

THE LEGENDARY AL GREEN RELEASES NEW STUDIO ALBUM, LAY IT DOWN MAY 27 ON BLUE NOTE

Old School Jam features John Legend, Anthony Hamilton, Corinne Bailey Rae, ?uestlove, and Dap-Kings Horns

"When you watch [Al Green] perform, you get to see something honest and soulful and amazing." ~ Justin Timberlake

"If you are going to consider what you do as an artist real R&B, you have to consider the pioneers of it, and Al just happens to be one of 'em". I respect [Al Green] so so much and you've always been very honest; and that honesty has motivated me to make R&B music." ~ Usher

There's no shortage of Al Green fans. The R&B legend has helped shape the genre and continues to do so, as is evidenced by his new studio album Lay It Down, out May 27 on Blue Note Records. The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters and Al Green fans John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop's most innovative players, drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser, the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common.

The album has been a 2 ½ year labor of, as Al likes to put it, L-O-V-E. Born from a series of inspired sessions between Green and Ahmir at the famed Electric Lady studios in Greenwich Village that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green's latter-day career, Lay It Down is a refreshingly old school jam, with everyone laying down the music together, face to face, heart to heart, soul to soul.

"The reason why we are doing this is because we all idolize Al Green," declares ?uestlove. "Even today, nobody has range like him."

The sound is purely Al Green, with the artist duets and Ahmir and James' deft touches bringing it into 2008. As Green explains: "They didn't want to get too far out from the foundation that [Hi Records producer] Willie Mitchell and I built-‘Call Me,' ‘I'm Still In Love With You,' ‘Let's Stay Together." We want to keep all of the aura, but we would like to have freedom enough to spread our wings and express ourselves. The Roots, all the guys from Philly who came up to do this stuff with us-they were incredible. I could relax because I knew the people were capable."

Add in Brooklyn's celebrated Dap-King Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers "Spanky" Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you've got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business.

"It's an honor to be able to work with Al Green, who I have always loved and respected," says John Legend, who duets with Green and Corinne Bailey Rae on the single "Stay With Me (by the sea)". "He has been an important part of black music history, and pop music history for that matter. Al really is a magical singer."

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Al Green

Latest bulletin 10.21.08

Blog posts

Link to this artist page

iCast: Al Green