Al Green wears aviator sunglasses, pinstripes and a pocket square tucked into his suit jacket on the cover of his latest album. And he is strutting. Like a cocky muthaf***er. "Cuz he knows. He knows that his latest album, produced by hitmaker Willie Mitchell, is about to seduce you with its sultry tunes.
True to his R&B sound during his "70s heyday during which he churned out hits like "Let's Stay Together" and "Tired of Being Alone," long before he got a bowlful of hot grits thrown on his face by a jealous ex-lover and decided to become a reverend and then interpreted a near-fatal fall off of a stage as a sign from God to turn away from secular music to sing only gospel, Green's voice still sounds a bit thin and distant and in-effect, the entire album sounds like one long, breathy phone call. It's been almost 10 years since the he came out with an original album and, as you can imagine, his devoted fans have been waiting in anticipation to hear that voice.
I Can't Stop is the Reverend's glorious return to secular (a.k.a sexytime music) and does not disappoint in that what gets phoned-in is classic Al Green, with none of the shocking changes or developments one would expect after reuniting with an old friend after a decade. With tracks like "I've Been Waitin' On You," you get the same peppy horns, sexy background vocals, and cool cat performance you've come to expect from an Al Green song. And of course, the Reverend always provides. Make-out music, that is. "You," "Not Tonight" and "A Million To One" all set the mood for a nice quiet night at home. Just your baby, your aviators and you.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.