The Love Songs Collection- Al Green -- CD -724358032727

1. L-O-V-E (Love) 3:35 2. Im Still in Love With You 3:12 3. Livin for You 3:11 4. Here I Am (Come and Take Me) 4:15 5. You Ought to Be With Me 3:17 6. Im Glad Youre Mine 2:59 7. Wait Here 2:43 8. For the Good Times 6:13 9. Love and Happiness 5:08 10. Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy) 2:57 11. What Is This Feeling? 3:43 12. Lets Get Married 5:35 13. Call Me (Come Back Home) 3:03 14. Guilty 2:59 15. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart 6:23 16. Lets Stay Together 3:18 17. Put It on Paper / Ann Nesby 5:07

All Music Guide'Love songs' collections have become de rigueur around Valentines Day. and EMI catalog imprint The Right Stuffs Al Green compilation puts a soul twist on the genre. The conceit. as usual. is that most pop singers spend most of their time singing about love anyway. and thats certainly the case with Green (that is. when hes not singing about God). The only categories of material that would seem to be off-limits are tracks that are a bit too up-tempo (the idea here is to feature ballads that will contribute to that romantic Valentines Day mood) or that express romantic frustration. Thus. Green hits like 'Cant Get Next to You' and 'Tired of Being Alone' are out. But most of his output fits the concept. and the selection is heavily weighted toward his early-70s hitmaking days. Technically. the collection stretches from 1967s 'Guilty' to 2002s Ann Nesby hit 'Put It on Paper.' which featured Green. But 12 of the 17 tracks date from Greens 1972-1973 heyday. and ten of the 16 pop chart entries he scored between 1971 and 1975 are included. Hence. the album functions as a de facto hits collection as well. Beyond the hits. there are interesting. stretched-out interpretations of Kris Kristoffersons 'For the Good Times' and the Bee Gees 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.' Despite his religious commitment. Green has always been an accomplished loverman. and this album provides 17 convincing arguments why. William Ruhlmann