The big question that greets listeners encountering
Al Green's third Blue Note album,
Lay It Down, is: what happens when you put that amazing soul-drenched voice in the hands of hip-hop producers Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of
the Roots and
James Poyser, and add a slew of superstar guests? Answer: a killer
Al Green soul album. Thompson and
Poyser weren't interested in straying far from the classic sound
Green and producer
Willie Mitchell created at Hi Records in the 1970s, but they did want to place it in a more contemporary -- albeit analog -- setting.
Green cut his previous offerings for the label -- 2003's I Can't Stop and 2005's Everything's OK -- with
Mitchell, and the results were good, not great, albums because
Green's sound was simply re-created nostalgically. Even though Thompson and
Poyser have been very creative here with their nuanced percussive, textural, and dynamic touches,
Lay It Down is more of a classic-sounding
Al Green record than either of its predecessors. The producers are at the core of a studio band (on drums and various analog keyboards, respectively) that also includes
Mighty Clouds of Joy guitarist Chalmers "Spanky" Alford (in whose memory the album is dedicated), bassist
Adam Blackstone (
Jill Scott), and
the Dap-Kings Horns.
Lay It Down is a slow-burning, solid groover of a soul record; its dynamics and textures shift subtly and purposely to keep
Green's voice at the center of its sound. If there is a flaw on the set, it's that individual tracks don't assert themselves immediately.
Green,
Poyser, and Thompson were going for immediacy and feel: nine of the album's 11 cuts had basic tracks done in their first session. They achieved their goal and then some -- the album feels of such an atmospheric piece and is so present that it initially comes off as a whole. That said, there is no better place to spend 45 minutes than in
Lay It Down's dreamy, sensual, gritty, and tender sound world. ~ Thom Jurek