Lay It Down (Al Green album)

Lay It Down is the 29th studio album by American singer Al Green, released May 27, 2008, on Blue Note Records.[11] The album was produced by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and James Poyser. The album features guest vocals from Anthony Hamilton, John Legend, and Corinne Bailey Rae.[1]

Lay It Down
Studio album by
Al Green
ReleasedMay 27, 2008
GenreSoul
Length44:31
LabelBlue Note
B2-48449
ProducerAhmir "Questlove" Thompson, James Poyser
Al Green chronology
Everything's OK
(2005)		 Lay It Down
(2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment Weekly(A-)[2]
Los Angeles Times[3]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)(A-)[4]
The New York Times(favorable)[5]
Pitchfork Media(6.8/10)[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Spin(8/10)[8]
The Times[9]
The Village Voice(favorable)[10]

Lay It Down peaked at number 9 on Billboard's Top Album charts[12], and has received widespread acclaim from critics. At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best R&B Album but lost to Jennifer Hudson's self-titled album. "Stay With Me (By the Sea)" won Al Green and John Legend the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal award, and "You've Got the Love I Need" won Green and Anthony Hamilton the award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.[13][14]

Critical reception

Lay It Down has received much critical acclaim. It currently holds a rating of 81/100 on review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 22 critical reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]

The album was applauded for bringing in younger producers which critics claimed gave the album a more youthful sound. Thom Jurek for Allmusic commented: "What happens when you put that amazing soul-drenched voice in the hands of hip-hop producers Questlove and James Poyser, and add a slew of superstar guests? Answer: a killer Al Green soul album".[1] In a review for Blender, Ben Ratliff remarked that Green had "created a natural-sounding album with occasional horns and strings, taking cues directly from [his] best old records".[16] "Lay It Down" was number 15 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Al Green.

No.TitleFeatured vocalistLength
1."Lay It Down"Anthony Hamilton4:30
2."Just for Me" 3:58
3."You've Got the Love I Need"Anthony Hamilton4:14
4."No One Like You" 4:31
5."What More Do You Want From Me" 4:13
6."Take Your Time"Corinne Bailey Rae4:37
7."Too Much" 3:30
8."Stay With Me (By the Sea)"John Legend3:23
9."All I Need" 3:41
10."I'm Wild About You" 4:51
11."Standing in the Rain" 3:03
Total length:44:31

Personnel

Adapted from CD liner notes.[18]

Additional personnel

  • Larry Gold – string orchestrator and conductor (1, 3, 6, 7, 9)
  • Al Green, James Poyser, Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson – producer
  • Richard Nichols, Eli Wolf – executive producer

Charts
Chart (2008) Peak
position		 Sales Certification
Billboard 200 9
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References
  1. Jurek, Thom (March 27, 2008). Lay It Down - Al Green | AllMusic: Review. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  2. Willman, Chris (March 30, 2008). Lay It Down | Music | EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  3. Weiss, Jeff (May 27, 2008). A talent confused by his ambitions - Page 2 - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  4. Christgau, Robert (July 2008). Inside Music: Consumer Guide. MSN Music. Archived from the original on 2011-04-10.
  5. Chinen, Nate (May 25, 2008). Music - With New Collaborators, Al Green Pays Tribute to Al Green - NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  6. Wolk, Douglas (May 29, 2008). Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Al Green: Lay It Down. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  7. Rosen, Jody (May 29, 2008). Lay It Down by Al Green | Rolling Stone Music | Music Reviews. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  8. Wood, Mikael (June 2008). Al Green, 'Lay It Down' (Blue Note) | SPIN.com. Spin. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  9. Hodgkinson, Will (May 23, 2008). Al Green: Lay It Down review | CD reviews | Music - Times Online. The Times. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  10. Rogers, Matt (May 27, 2008). Al Green's Lay It Down - Page 1 - Music - New York - Village Voice. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2011-04-10.
  11. Amazon.com: Lay It Down: Al Green: Music
  12. "Chart History - Al Green". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  13. Conner, Thomas (December 3, 2009). "Complete list of Grammy nominees". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  14. "Grammy Awards 2009: The full list of winners". The Telegraph. The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  15. Lay It Down on Metacritic
  16. "Review of Lay It Down by Blender magazine". Archived from the original on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  17. "The 100 Best Songs of 2008". Rolling Stone (December 25, 2008). Retrieved 2008-12-25
  18. "Al Green - Lay It Down (2008, CD)". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
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