Lay It Down (Al Green album) 2008 studio album by Al Green
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 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
Title Featured vocalist 1. "Lay It Down" Anthony Hamilton 4:30 2. "Just for Me" 3:58 3. "You've Got the Love I Need" Anthony Hamilton 4:14 4. "No One Like You" 4:31 5. "What More Do You Want From Me" 4:13 6. "Take Your Time" Corinne Bailey Rae 4:37 7. "Too Much" 3:30 8. "Stay With Me (By the Sea)" John Legend 3:23 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]
Al Green – vocals
Anthony Hamilton – vocals (3), background vocals (1, 3)
Corinne Bailey Rae – vocals (6), background vocals (6, 8)
John Legend – vocals (8), background vocals (8)
Chalmers "Spanky" Alford – guitar
Randy Bowland – additional guitar (2, 3, 8, 11)
James Poyser – piano, organ
Adam Blackstone – bass (1-5, 7-11)
Owen Biddle – bass (6)
Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson – drums (1-10)
Homer Steinweiss – drums (11)
Danny Sadownick – percussion (2, 5, 11)
The Dap-Kings Horns – horns
Neal Sugarman – tenor saxophone
Ian Hendrickson Smith – baritone
Jaguar Wright , Mercedes Martinez – background vocals
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
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
^ a b c Jurek, Thom (March 27, 2008). Lay It Down - Al Green | AllMusic: Review . Allmusic . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Christgau, Robert (July 2008). Inside Music: Consumer Guide . MSN Music . Archived from the original on April 10, 2011.
^ Willman, Chris (March 30, 2008). Lay It Down | Music | EW.com . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Weiss, Jeff (May 27, 2008). A talent confused by his ambitions - Page 2 - Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Chinen, Nate (May 25, 2008). Music - With New Collaborators, Al Green Pays Tribute to Al Green - NYTimes.com . The New York Times . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Wolk, Douglas (May 29, 2008). Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Al Green: Lay It Down . Pitchfork Media . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Rosen, Jody (May 29, 2008). Lay It Down by Al Green | Rolling Stone Music | Music Reviews . Rolling Stone . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Wood, Mikael (June 2008). Al Green, 'Lay It Down' (Blue Note) | SPIN.com . Spin . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Hodgkinson, Will (May 23, 2008). Al Green: Lay It Down review | CD reviews | Music - Times Online . The Times . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Rogers, Matt (May 27, 2008). Al Green's Lay It Down - Page 1 - Music - New York - Village Voice . The Village Voice . Retrieved on April 10, 2011.
^ Amazon.com: Lay It Down: Al Green: Music
^ "Chart History - Al Green" . Billboard . Billboard. Retrieved 18 March 2020 .
^ 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 .
^ "Grammy Awards 2009: The full list of winners" . The Telegraph . The Telegraph. Retrieved March 18, 2020 .
^ Lay It Down on Metacritic
^ "Review of Lay It Down by Blender magazine" . Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008 .
^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2008 ". Rolling Stone (December 25, 2008). Retrieved December 25, 2008
^ "Al Green - Lay It Down (2008, CD)" . Discogs . Discogs. Retrieved March 18, 2020 .
^ "Austriancharts.at – Al Green – Lay It Down" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Ultratop.be – Al Green – Lay It Down" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Al Green – Lay It Down" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Lescharts.com – Al Green – Lay It Down" . Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Al Green – Lay It Down" . Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Al Green – Lay It Down" . Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Al Green Chart History (Billboard 200)" . Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Al Green Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)" . Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2020.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2008" . Billboard . Retrieved October 14, 2020 .
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