AL GREEN

I’m Still In Love With You

“I’m Still in Love with You” opens the album with one of Green’s more extraordinary vocals. The line, “I’m … wrapped up in your love,” delivered twice, is sung high, almost disappearing at the end of his range, and yet enveloping — the perfect vocal equivalent of being hugged tightly in someone’s arms. He stretches the word “heaven” and it shimmers or he dips his voice down low at the end of a line as if to insinuate it into every possible corner of the song. As with most Al Green songs (this one written in collaboration with drummer Al Jackson and producer Willie Mitchell), the lyrics are simple, almost unremarkable and in this case touchingly inarticulate: “Spending my days/thinkin’ ‘bout you girl./Being here with you/being near with you/Can’t explain myself.”

Throughout, Willie Mitchell’s production work is as consistently strong as Green’s vocals. It’s never trite, never obtrusive — none of those wedges of unrelieved production (something quite different from music) you find driven into so many other albums — and always several steps ahead of being just right. Mitchell provides a texture in his production that is the perfect complement to Green’s singing while establishing its own richness but avoids calling attention to itself with those hey-hey-aren’t-I-hot touches so many big-time producers love to indulge themselves with.

Al Green was one of the first great soul singers of the 70s and undeniably the last great Southern soul singer. With his wonderful songs for Hi Records in the early 70s, Green managed the balancing act between deep soul and fine Philadelphia soul. He combines elements of gospel, religious pop songs and R&B numbers on his albums.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. I’m Still In Love With You
2. I’m Glad You’Re Mine
3. Love And Happiness
4. What A Wonderful Thing Love Is
5. Simply Beautiful

SIDE B
1. Oh, Pretty Woman
2. For The Good Times
3. Look What You Done For Me
4. One Of These Good Old Days