Al Green
I Can't Stop

Albert Greene was born in 1946 in Arkansas, deep south of the United States, the sixth of ten children. He approached music together with some brothers, singing gospel, the “sacred music” of the time, the only one accepted by bigots, the one of infinite praises to the Lord. Al loved music, all music, even the "profane" one, the one that shook the body and mind of a black twenty-year-old from the south, that inevitably opened the doors of hell, the one that spoke of love, the one with falsetto screams that made you imagine who knows what. Al listened to that music in secret because it was truly the devil's music, perhaps he was ashamed of it, he certainly hid from his terrible bigoted father. One day Al was caught by his father listening to Jackie Wilson, the one from Reet Petite... Expelled from the house (or maybe he ran away) he changed cities, states and began playing in small clubs in Tennessee. Alcohol, drugs, prostitution, gambling, and betting were his friends. Noticed by Willie Mitchell, boss of Hi Records, he invited him to sing for his band. Sacred and profane, this dualism would accompany our hero throughout his life, Al had closed (momentarily) the sacred period and was about to open the profane one, decidedly more interesting (artistically) for us.

The early '70s went by wonderfully, the partnership with Mitchell as the producer worked perfectly, records were released that were precious gems, and the audience appreciated by purchasing his records 30 million times. The reason for the success is simple: Al contributed to the birth of a new musical genre: soul, blending the rhythm'n blues of blacks with gospel. In those years, the roots of certain music of today were sown. From Soul, Funky, Dance, Black, Hip hop, Rap will be born, and they all have as their sole parent Al Green (to tell the truth, there would also be Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Temptation... but let's not quibble too much...).

Soul, the music of the soul, has a peculiarity, it manages to offer an emotional tension, an emotional crescendo that always seems on the verge of releasing, without ever reaching the climax. It leaves you hanging, letting the listener's imagination run free, it's not like rock, which instead grabs and overwhelms you following clear and recognizable tracks. Soul is a burst of pure eroticism. I once read that soul is comparable to the moment immediately preceding an orgasm, which is the hope of a final explosion, but without the certainty. Fantastic definition, don't you think?

I can’t stop I just can't stop loving you I can't prevent my hands from holding you There must be a reason why I feel so free No, I can't stop, no, no, no, no You and me, me and you (from I can’t stop, at the opening of the cd, just to make it clear what we're talking about...)

The lyrics themselves are full of sexual references, moans, allusions, and double entendres.

But let's return to our hero, in 1974, at the height of success, after having released absolute masterpieces, (mentioning just two, I recommend Let’s Stay Together and The Belle Album, but it would be a shame to neglect the others), Al had the brilliant idea of rejecting his girlfriend's marriage proposal, who then caused him deep burns by throwing hot milk at him, and then stole his gun and committed suicide in the next room.

It was a divine sign, Al converted to Christianity and became a reverend. The sacred took over. The subsequent records are still good, but something was lost, the magic waned, something was no longer working. A few years later, he fell off the stage during a concert, "the Lord is calling me," he thought, "I must go." He abandoned profane music, dedicated himself to gospel by releasing uninteresting albums.

Years later, a good live show in Tokyo here, a duet with Annie Lenox there, the publication of a book in 2000, in short, something was moving, but nothing predicted a great comeback.

Instead, in 2003 Green reunited with Mitchell and created a splendid profane album, I Can’t Stop.

Al's recipe is still the same, a sprinkling of moans and laments, abundant with class and elegance, season with sexy backup vocals, and mix it all with a muscular groove. Then cook for about an hour in his remarkable falsetto.

The result will make you want to continue the dinner with a sound that is immediately identifiable, a harmonious coexistence of languid orchestrations based on brass and especially strings with the flexible strength of a funky bass and drums. On the side, fat organs and a blues-flavored guitar. Top it off with Al's voice, silky and of a phrasing elegance not heard since Sam Cooke. The fantastic guests present include the legendary Memphis Horns (trumpeter Wayne Jackson, saxophonists James Mitchell, Ed Logan, and Andrew Love, trombonist Jack Hale), then Mabon Hodges on guitar, Charles Hughes on organ, Leroy Hodges on bass, and Al Jackson on drums.

I Can’t Stop the best track, Rainin in my heart seems to come from the soundtrack of Shaft by a certain Isaac Hayes, I’ve Been Thinkin' About You in pure Sam & Dave style, but all are enjoyable (in every sense) in this cd released in the year of grace 1973… But no, wasn't it released in 2003? Oh well, I must have been mistaken…

I like those who manage to rebuild their life, who climb out of a heap of manure, dirty and smelly but ready to clean up and spit in the face of old friends, and it's not a metaphor...

Al artistically did it, always teetering between sacred and profane, this time he hit the target. Probably not his best record, but let's all remember we're talking about the man who wrote the song whose opening is practically the American anthem of love, Let’s Stay Together.