Al Green Is Love

by Al Green

Overview

In a short time, Al Green became a premier singer in R&B and pop. With songs like "Look What You've Done for Me" and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)," among many others, Green and producer Willie Mitchell refined the sounds of each genre. As Al Green Explores Your Mind was the peak of Green's insouciance, Al Green Is Love finds a starker reality -- the majority of the tracks here are ruminative but not always coherent. The first track, the propulsive "L-O-V-E (Love)," would be even more believable if Green didn't sound so ambivalent. Other up-tempo tracks, "I Gotta Be More" and "Rhymes," are edgy and dark, with great riffs from guitarist Mabon Hodges. The heart of Al Green Is Love is the ballads, though Green's not very happy, and those looking for heartwarming thoughts on romance won't find it here. "The Love Sermon" and, even better, "I Didn't Know" are spare, dirge-like songs that give Green great opportunities to turn in raw and emotional performances. "I Wish You Were Here" and "Could I Be the One" have producer Willie Mitchell offering suitably bleak arrangements to go with Green's airy vocals. The best track here, "There Is Love," strikes a balance between the customary production grace and the album's pervading sorrow. Al Green Is Love might be too depressing for some, but his fans will find Green's truthfulness appealing and some of the songs among his best. ~ Jason Elias

Product Details

Release Date:	12/29/2023
Label:	Ultra Vybe
UPC:	4526180676430
Rank:	140297

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Al Green   Primary Artist
Charles Hodges   Organ,Piano
Wayne Jackson   Trumpet
Lewis Collins   Sax (Tenor)
Archie Turner   Piano
Leroy Hodges   Bass
Charles Chalmers   Vocals (Background)
Michael Allen   Piano
Donna Rhodes   Vocals (Background)
Mabon "Teenie" Hodges   Guitar
Andrew Love   Sax (Tenor)
Larry Lee   Guitar
Howard Grimes   Drums,Bongos,Congas
Jack Hale   Trombone
James Mitchell   Sax (Baritone)

Technical Credits

Mabon "Teenie" Hodges   Composer
Ann Mitchell   Composer
Al Green   Composer,Producer
Willie Mitchell   Composer,Engineer,Producer,String Arrangements
Yvonne Mitchell   Composer
Howard Craft   Mastering
Glenn Ross   Art Direction
Richard Kriegler   Art Direction
Lawrence Seymore   Composer
Bob Levy   Photography
Buddy Rosenberg   Photography
James Mitchell   String Arrangements
Earl Randle   Composer