When The Grass Is Greener

Was there ever a time when everything went right for you. That day when you got the winning goal/basket /point /wicket /touchdown / home run. That night in the club when every girl/guy (ain't no sexism here people) gave up the number. That day when your numbers came up & you walked into work the next day only to flip a finger at the boss & walk right back out again. That 16 bars you wrote in one sit down & was just straight fire. I reckon that when the major players stepped in the studio with al Green for the 1st time to start recording Lay It Down, they had that same feeling. And so the bloody well should because the result is a masterpiece. This is about as perfect as a modern day soul album can sound. From the opening guitar riffs of the title track to the final funky keys of Standing In The Rain, I was completely blown away by what i was hearing, Questlove & James Poyser, with help from The Dap-King Horns, Chalmers Alford & Adam Blackstone Have created a new benchmark for what others should be aiming for in my view. They have Managed to keep classic soul essence in tact while bringing the sound forward & making it completely relevant with what goes on today. We all know that Al Green is a musical God but the fact that his voice & the soundscapes are so mind blowingly cohesive without so much as a minor mis step is amazing. Plus Anthony Hamilton (twice), John Legend & Corinne Bailey-Rae all make great appearances too. I'm not going to go into detail about any individual tracks this time because i would be doing them a grave disservice. Any soul fan be you young or old, into Classic or Nu, this is the must have of the year so far. An absolutely fantastic album.

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Al Green - Lay It Down selection