In a short time, Al Green became a premier singer in R&B and pop. With songs like “Look What You’ve Done for Me” and “Here I Am (Come and Take Me),” among many others, Green and producer Willie Mitchell refined the sounds of each genre. As Al Green Explores Your Mind was the peak of Green’s insouciance, Al Green Is Love finds a starker reality — the majority of the tracks here are ruminative but not always coherent. The first track, the propulsive “L-O-V-E (Love),” would be even more believable if Green didn’t sound so ambivalent. Other up-tempo tracks, “I Gotta Be More” and “Rhymes,” are edgy and dark, with great riffs from guitarist Mabon Hodges. The heart of Al Green Is Love is the ballads, though Green’s not very happy, and those looking for heartwarming thoughts on romance won’t find it here. “The Love Sermon” and, even better, “I Didn’t Know” are spare, dirge-like songs that give Green great opportunities to turn in raw and emotional performances. “I Wish You Were Here” and “Could I Be the One” have producer Willie Mitchell offering suitably bleak arrangements to go with Green’s airy vocals. The best track here, “There Is Love,” strikes a balance between the customary production grace and the album’s pervading sorrow. Al Green Is Love might be too depressing for some, but his fans will find Green’s truthfulness appealing and some of the songs among his best. – Jason Elias
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