Review: Al Green ‘lays it down’ at the House of Blues

In the midst of a show stopping "Tired Of Being Alone" at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on Sunday night, Al Green read his audience's mind.

"There are some people here tonight who want to know if the Reverend has still got it," he proclaimed, and then proceeded to demonstrate that he indeed does, by hitting a note considerably higher than a man of his 62 years could plausibly be expected to reach.

But in the latter stages of Green's career – it's been thirty one years since his incomparable run of brilliant 1970s LPs came to a head with The Belle Album in 1977 – the real question has never really been whether Green still has the vocal gift that puts him on any sane person's short list of the greatest soul singers of all time.

The frustrating thing about following Green - on CD and on stage – has been that he's made music of inconsistent quality despite still possessing an improbably agile falsetto and an instinctual and unpredictable style of phrasing that can make great singers like Otis Redding seem stolid in comparison.

It's not a question of whether Green still has it, so much as what he's chosen to do with it. The good news is that the Memphian's fine new album, Lay It Down, which was produced by Philadelphians Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and James Poyser, patiently constructs plush string cushioned R & B grooves around songs that summon up the spirit of Green's '70s heyday.

And with a 13 piece ensemble behind him, there was a certain amount of carry over from the focused effort of Lay It Down at the House of Blues. Green was impeccably dressed – he wore a baby blue waistcoat beneath a dressed-for-church suit jacket, which he threw to the ground in a fit of ecstasy during "Nearer My God To Thee."

Early on in his 70-minute, no encore set, he sang attentive versions of both Lay It Down's title song and "Stay With Me (By The Sea)," though his duet partner from the recorded version was not on hand. "John Legend ain't here, so I'm going to sing his part, too," he interjected. And throughout the night there were a few other similarly focused performances, such as the closing "Here I Am, (Come And Take Me)," which Green misremembered as coming out in 1987, though it was actually released in 1975.

Those numbers were able to hold Green's attention from beginning to end. But throughout the always lively, entertaining show, there were also many moments that showed flashes of brilliance before Green would lose interest, and hand principal vocal duties off to the crowd. "You know it better than me," Green complimented the vocalizing chorale during "Let's Stay Together," and he may have been right. While giving out red roses to female members of the audience, he also leaned heavily on his backup singer daughter Deborah (who took "Amazing Grace" and ran with it).

Though he's old school to his bones, Green is in many ways a soul singer for an attention deficit age. His flights of fancy are often transporting, but he also puts forth tantalizing ideas he then drops before bringing to fruition. In one frustrating segment, he praised the Lord for creating "the heavens, the sea and the dry land." Then, in rapid succession, he sang one verse of the Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," the Temptations' "My Girl" and Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long." Each of which sounded fabulous, and left you wanting more.