From Notorious B.I.G.‘s “Long Kiss Goodnight,” to Ghostface Killah‘s “260” and Ganjah K‘s “Love Got My Mind Trippin’,” Al Green‘s brand of early 1970s Soul has been a staple to Hip Hop music composition and inspiration. After returning to the Soul genre after 20 years of Gospel music with 2003’s I Can’t Stop, the Tennessee-based reverend is getting even closer to his Hip Hop congregation.
On May 27, Green and Blue Note Records will release Lay It Down. The album features assistance from Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and James Poyser (The Soulquarians) and well as the musicians behind famed Brooklyn Funk outfit The Dap Kings.
Of the project, Green noted, “That’s the only way I know how to work,
that’s what I’ve done all my life. You just write it from here,” said the reverend, tapping his heart. “That’s what we do every Sunday. We never write a
sermon now. If you can’t preach out of here”–tapping his chest
again–“you have nothing to say anyway. It’s all from the heart, this
whole album, from start to finish.”
