Truly, I shouldn’t really care much for Al Green’s music. When it comes to a choice between slow songs and fast songs, for example, I almost always prefer the fast ones. And I’m a hardened skeptic when it comes to lovey-dovey, sweet talk. Slow, mellow love ballads rank pretty low in my estimation, as a general rule.
But Al Green at his best—as he is on Call Me—is so simply masterful, I find it impossible not to fall under his sway, despite my normal preferences. He can take a song that in others’ hands would be trite and make it magical.
And the word “magical” fits—Green’s voice can cast quite a captivating spell. The edgy beauty of his vocal technique is like no one else’s—full one moment and breathy the next, leaping with ease to a pinched falsetto that he can warble and coo and crack and break at exactly the right moment. With his singing, he expresses genuine emotion, without any unearned sentimental affectation.
Al Green is an essential listen.
So here you are. This double-LP-length playlist highlights Green’s ‘70s output. Dig it.
Cover Art:
- Call Me: Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
Recent Comments