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Al Green
By Isabelle Davis
del.ico.us
reddit!
The greatest Southern soul singer of all time. The man responsible for many conceptions. The 62-year-old reverend with a flawless falsetto. The crusader of love and happiness. The legendary Al Green.
YOUR VOICE HAS NOT CHANGED A BIT. HOW DO YOU KEEP IT IN SUCH IMMACULATE CONDITION?
Well, those are nice words you're using now, Ms. Davis, but I don't know, I don't do anything. I didn't give it to me, so I don't really know how to keep it. All these songs I didn't give to me either, so I kinda, like, don't know.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE GUESTS FOR THE NEW ALBUM?
We planned to do a duet album. That was a plan. But Justin Timberlake was in Australia, there were other folks that were on tour in Canada, so they couldn't do it. And the very people that we didn't think could do it, like John Legend, just so happened to be in New York. I don't really know how this stuff came to be.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT A LOT OF YOUR SONGS IS THAT NOT ONLY COULD THEY BE ABOUT THE LOVE OF A PERSON, BUT IT COULD BE A LOVE FOR A HIGHER POWER.
How could anybody say, for instance, if you use it metaphorically, "Take me to the river, wash me down." That's about somebody higher than somebody who just simply says, "I love you and I'll see you after dinner."
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YOUR DAUGHTER SINGS BACKUP. WHAT'S THAT LIKE?
She's a sweetheart. Valisa, too, is a friend of hers—I'm real proud of them. Because this is my daughter, and this is Valisa, and Valisa is a member of the church also, and my daughter is a member of the church also, and I'm the pastor of the church also, and therefore we on the road also, singing "Love and Happiness" also.
WHAT'S IT LIKE IN MEMPHIS WHEN YOU'RE NOT TOURING? ARE PEOPLE STILL STARSTRUCK?
Well, I live in Memphis. So living in Memphis, people give you your space. But [laughs] they'll follow you to a restaurant. They love you and "I don't wanna impose, but could you sign the back of my T-shirt?" And I'm like, "You got the T-shirt on!"
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[Al Green. Fri 11.21.08. Showcase Live, 23 Patriot Pl., Foxborough. 888.354.7042. 8pm/all ages/$80-$175. ticketmaster.com]