Search - Al Green :: Belle Album (Dig)

Al Green In Transition

John | Alabama,U.S.A. | 01/22/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In this album we follow Al or rather. he takes us with him as he struggles with a stronger religious based message in his music. Everything that we have come to love in and from Al Green is included on this album. His sexy music and vocal style is still in tact. However, his message is moving toward the gospel arena that we know reached its height in the 1980's with his gospel materials, but he has not quite made it there yet in this album. This is a good album to have in any Al Green collection, and especially if you want to be a devout Al Green disciple."

Essential

Paul | London UK | 11/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Forget the Clash and the Pistols, this was the best album released in 1977! One of the all time great soul records; full of love and spirituality - the essence of soul music."

Religious music even an agnostic can enjoy

finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 09/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Al's first album after severing ties with Willie Mitchell, and his most explicitly religious album to date. On the lovely title track, for instance, he finds himself caught between God and the woman he loves. And he really testifies there, portraying the pathos and confusion of such a situation in a wavering, unsure falsetto. It's arguably the greatest vocal of his entire career. I'm agnostic (and therefore have never been caught in a God v. girlfriend debate, though if I was I'd probably end up staying with my girlfriend), but Al delivers the song in a way that makes me feel his pain. You needed proof that Al was one of the greatest soul singers of all time? Right there, on that song. I'm as conflicted about this album as Al is about the title song. On the one hand, it's a fine album musically, even without the aide of Willie Mitchell. It's his most consistent collection of songs since Call Me, with a newfound emphasis on Al's acoustic guitar playing, which turns out to be quite good. And his singing is in very good form. Not just on the title track. Everywhere. It's especially prominent on "Lovin' You." And "I Feel Good" is one of Al's funkiest songs ever. Maybe even his funkiest, period. And it turns out an acoustic guitar does sound good in a funk context. Who knew? On the other hand, the lyrics are not to my tastes. They are very religious. He had showed signs of this on Full of Fire, but here he goes head-on, with shout-outs to God, Heaven, and various other stuff that my agnosticness just doesn't relate to. I can just ignore the lyrics, though. But with this newfound love of God comes a newfound love of the electric organ. "Feels Like Summer" could've been a great tune, and he scores points for the bass, piano, and vocals. But the organ is wretched. I don't care that it stays in the background. It still annoys me. It sounds like it was generated by very primitive MIDI technology, though I'm quite sure that wasn't the case. It doesn't sound as bad as the piano on "Don't Stop Believin'" (because not much can sound as bad as the piano, or the everything else, of "Don't Stop Believin'"), but it still sounds bad. And speaking of churches, it's not surprising that one of the most explicitly religious tracks is one of the weakest: on "All n' All," he goes all-out gospel, declaring "Jesus is my all/he's my all `n' all/and he'll hear my call." But if Jesus inspired him so much, wouldn't he come up with a more imaginative rhyme scheme than "All/all/call?" At least it's not bad, unlike "Chariots of Fire," gospel-funk with the only Al Green vocal I don't like. On top of that, the title looked like it was cribbed from some campy gladiator movie. Then there are the two long tracks. "Georgia Boy," with a burbling bass vamp and spectacular acoustic guitar passages, is very successful. On the other hand, "Dream" recalls the two extended tracks from Al Green is Love in that it simply doesn't develop, or end. The trick with this album is to ignore the lyrics (unless you're religious, in which case you'll probably love them) and the last two tracks, and focus on the music, because it's quite impressive in that sense. So I would recommend it, even to the more secular-minded Al Green fans. I'd know, because I'm secular-minded and I enjoy it."