To me Al
Green was almost the forgotten soul great of the 1970s era. Often overlooked,
or indeed simply standing in the shadows of the big names that one associates
with 70s soul and R&B such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and
the like. However, if one decided to sit down and listen to Green’s 1972 album Let’s Stay Together, that person would
quickly realise that this man deserves to be put alongside his contemporaries
in the pantheon of soul.
Let’s Stay Together was the album where (if you would
excuse the pun) Al Green got it together musically, releasing a beautifully
crafted soul record that would turn out as one of the great vocal albums of the
decade. Green’s vocals are the most impressive thing about this record, with
the reverend showing off both his dexterity and range as a vocalist. Across the
record Green offers to the listener a mixture of crooning, scatting, shouting,
falsetto, and some of the funkiest growls you are likely to here. He simply had
it all and could change his vocal style depending on the demands of the song
and what was commanded by each performance he gave.
In terms of
the overall sound of the record, well it was nothing but pure soul – nothing more
and nothing less – and aside from Green’s stellar vocals, much of this can be owed
to the brilliant session musicians whose playing gave Green a template and base
to allow his vocals to shine through. The backing on here musically speaking
was mostly in the mould of the southern soul, or Stax Records sound of the 60s
and 70s, and it would come as no surprise that the musicians themselves were
all from Memphis. The players on this record were members of the session band
the Hi Rhythm Section, accompanied also by the Memphis Horns, as well as a trio
of backing singers. The sound they produced across the album was very much
groove based with more of a rhythm and blues flavour than say the more
pop-oriented sound that came out of Motown. There is a strong rhythmic element
to the tracks, while the amazing horn section give many of the songs a sense of
personality to go with Green’s raw voice.
So what of
the songs themselves, well the album opens with Green’s most well-known song
the title track “Let’s Stay Together”, a beautiful soul ballad which never gets
old and is quite different in that it provided a nice gentle start to the album,
something that was not often the norm for a southern soul record. The guts of
the album really starts on track three with “So You’re Leaving” which is an
R&B groove-laden love song, whose infectious drum beat and pounding horns
is everything that makes a great soul track. This is definitely one of the more
instrumentally pleasing songs on the album. This is followed by another groovy
track “What Is This feeling” which also includes some nice falsetto backing
vocals from backing singers Charles Chalmers and the Rhodes Sisters, Donna and
Sandra. Side one then comes to an end with “Old Time Lovin”, a soul ballad that
brings a bit of gospel to proceedings.
Side two then
begins with the funky “I’ve Never Found a Girl”, which as a more up-tempo song
is a nice way to break up the slower ballads. I would describe this track as
one of the more dance-based tracks on the album that you can really get on down
to, while it also features a brilliant horn part. This is followed by a cover
of the Bee Gees “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” which stretches to over six
minutes and in my opinion betters the original, especially in terms of its
arrangement and overall feel. Greens vocal phrasing on this track is superb,
while his delivery comes across as heartfelt and right from the soul ensuring
this is one of the album highlights. The album then concludes with the bright
and breezy “Judy” and finally the southern soulful blues of “It Ain’t No Fun to
Me”, showing that Green could sing the up-tempo blues numbers just as well as
the ballads.
Let’s Stay Together as an album is a wonderful mix of soul
balladry and funky rhythm and blues, blending nicely between these styles
throughout. Green’s vocals abilities stand out right across the album, while he
is well accompanied by some incredibly talented Memphis session players who’s
playing give the recordings an authentic southern rhythm and blues feel. Let’s Stay Together is nothing short of being
a brilliant soul record and represents to me what good soul music is all about.
It projects feelings of joy, sadness and happiness, while connects with the
body of the listener whether that be in the form of a foot tap, dance, or an
emotional response inside. That to me is what music is all about and so I thank
you Reverend Green.
A-
- Sam
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