The Reverend Al Green - Everything's Ok
Following up the album "I Can't Stop" from 2003, "Everything's Ok" sees Al Green once again teamed up with his mentor, producer and songwriting partner Willie Mitchell to produce a set of songs that are the real deal.
Al Green was the last soul man from the Southern States of America to achieve world wide pop stardom in the 1970s. Undoubtedly the reason for all those hits such as "Tired Of Being Along", "Let's Stay Together", "Call Me" to name a few, was that Al had a smoother more accessible voice to "pop" audiences than the other singers Mitchell produced such as Otis Clay or Syl Johnson.
Following the rule that "if it ain't broke don't fix it", "Everything's OK" like it's predecessor makes no concessions at all to modern production techniques. Everything you hear is real instruments, the horn section featuring Andrew Love and Jack Hale, Mabon "Teenie" Hodges on guitar and the background vocals of Rhodes, Chalmers and Rhodes, all mainstays of Mitchells Royal Recording Studio in Memphis that produced so many great recordings for the label.
Listening to this material is an uplifting experience. On the title track, Green breaks into fits of laughter. Although no samples are used, occasionally a brass break will sound familiar but you can't place it such as in "Another Day", but if you can't plagiarize yourself! "I Can Make Music" hits a funky groove featuring tasty harmonica.
For many people the highlights will be the three ballads. There is a version of the Joe Cocker hit "You Are So Beautiful" which Al makes all his own just like he did in the 70s when he interpreted the Bee Gees and Willie Nelson. "Perfect To Me" and "Real Love" are the other ballads and are amongst the highlights on this more than ok album.
Derek McCann
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