Al Green - "Let's Stay Together" (1972)

This was another gift, again from my wife, our wedding day this time. We don't usually celebrate it, and often forget. This year, I remembered, gave her a small gift, and created some guilt inside her. A few hours later she came home with this record.

This was Al Green's second record, and a relatively big success. It's smooth, relaxed soul that no one can really dislike. Al Green's voice is in focus, the fellow musicians create a chilled groove without ever taking over. There is not a single solo on the record. In many songs, a choir helps out, as is often the case in soul music. But it's also relatively non-dominating.

Every now and then some strings and brass joins the music, but it's not a whole orchestra, rather a quartet that complements the soundscape. So the sound is actually quite sparse. I like that. Sometimes soul can be quite bombastic with a well-filled sound, Al Green instead offers a rather controlled production.

A good album with many groovy songs. If one must complain about something, it would be that the variation is not so great, the sound, the tempo and the feel each song are pretty much the same throughout. But if you like what you hear, it doesn't matter that much. An album that fits well in many contexts. Feel good music.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Let's Stay Together 3:15
2 La-La For You 3:29
3 So You're Leaving 2:53
4 What Is This Feeling 3:40
5 Old Time Lovin 3:17

Side B
1 I've Never Found A Girl 3:37
2 How Can You Mend A Broken Heart 6:21
3 Judy 3:44
4 It Ain't No Fun To Me 3:27