Plenty of positive vibrations

TALK about a love-in.

Legendary R&B vocalist Al Green made his Winnipeg debut Tuesday, spreading his positive vibrations to a crowd of 1,627 at the Centennial Concert Hall as part of the Jazz Winnipeg Festival.

Green's sweet soul music was the soundtrack to plenty of good times -- nudge, nudge, wink, wink -- in the 1970s and he surely brought back some memories for many couples as he showcased a mixture of sweet, seductive soul, horn-driven funk and gospel from throughout his 46-year career.

The 63-year-old with the gazillion-watt smile is a born showman and knows how to work a crowd; his full-time work as a preacher in Memphis probably helps, too. The dapper legend walked on stage in a tuxedo and sunglasses and threw roses into the front rows before launching into L-O-V-E (Love) from his 1975 album Al Green is Love. Some lucky ladies even managed to get kisses throughout the show, and were gushing about the experience at the end of the night.

During the title track of his latest album, Lay it Down, he fell to the floor, got back up and addressed the crowd, explaining his 13-piece band -- which included a three-piece horn section, two percussionists, two keyboardists and three backup singers (two of whom were his daughters) -- was the band that played on the album, because he didn't use "fake musicians."

The song also marked the first appearance of a male dancer who grooved and shambled across the stage, for whatever reason. Later there were two. "Somebody say Amen! Some of you people may have heard I'm a preacher. I talked to the man and he said, 'Reverend, you do whatever you want to do.' I told him, I want to lay it down," he said/sang during the slow-burning number.

Green was chatty and personable between songs. He did a little preaching and asked for better access to the crowd when he returns.

"Next time I come, make me some stairs so I can hug the people; so I can go down like Diana Ross," he said to roars of approval.

Musically, Green hasn't lost a step, and his voice remains as smooth as his banter. He doesn't go for the falsetto as much as in his heyday, but it didn't matter -- he can still hit the notes when he has to. He even showed off some fancy footwork at various times throughout the 85-minute set.

After slowly warming up the crowd with Let's Get Married, the new Stay With Me (By the Sea) and uplifting gospel of Everything's Going to Be Alright (He's Coming Back) he got the audience up and singing along for the classic Let's Stay Together and kept the vibe going with Tired of Being Alone, the smouldering Still in Love with You and a mellow version of the Bee Gee's How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? He did a medley of some of his Motown/Stax influences and continued mixing sensual tracks like I'm Still in Love with You with funk jams like Love and Happiness, the later which perfectly describes an Al Green show.

It can't be easy opening up for someone like Green, but the Dirty Dozen Brass Band proved they were worthy of the task with a varied hour long-set of music from their home city of New Orleans that got the joint jumping.

If there was a dance floor, it would have been packed. Can these guys come back for a club show next year?

rob.williams@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 2, 2009 D3