Al Green — I’m Still In Love With You
Throwback Review | June 2024
Having one of the most incredible and unprecedented runs during the first half of the 1970s, Al Green’s I’m Still In Love With You could arguably be the best album from his incredible run between 1970 and 1975.
Al Green
As the 1960s and the Motown era drew to a close, Soul music was heading into its best decade, the 1970s. The decade saw the release of great music from a range of singers, from the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield. Another phenomenal Soul artist from that period who made not just some of the greatest Soul music, but some of the greatest music was Al Green. In the first of the 1970s, Green would go on to release multiple great albums and classic tracks, albums such as 1971’s Gets Next To You and 1973’s Call Me. 1972 would be Al Green’s greatest year and one of the most impressive years for any artist. In January 1972 he released Let’s Stay Together, which consisted of the album’s lead single of the same name and that would to this day be Green’s biggest single and one of the most recognisable singles of the 1970s. In October of the same year, Green would release a brand new album that was just as good as his previous release, that being I’m Still In Love With You.
Barring from just one track, I’m Still In Love With You is a phenomenal album packed with so many ballads. Entirely produced by Willie Mitchell, who did a phenomenal job with the album’s production. I’m Still In Love You also consisted of some of Al Green’s best work from a song writing perspective. Tracks such as “What A Wonderful Thing Love Is” is a beautifully written track that is a genuine representation of love and one’s devotion to a partner. Also teaming up with other song writers, Kris Kristofferson wrote “For The Good Times” which is another well written song that details the acceptance of the end of a relationship and to enjoy the last few moments together. The album’s biggest single, “Love and Happiness”, is a unique look into love as Al Green sings that love can “make you do right” and “make you do wrong”. Sure, many will look towards love as a positive thing, but Green also brings the perspective that many will choose to suffer or choose the wrong decisions based on their love for someone.
Along with phenomenal song writing, the album is of course accompanied with tremendous vocals from Green, one of the greatest singers of his generation, Green lays down beautiful vocals throughout the album. There is however just one song that just isn’t exactly up to par with the rest of the album. The record being “Oh, Pretty Woman”, which sadly just doesn’t have the same level of song writing as the rest of the album and simply is just not as memorable as the songs from the rest of the album. On the other hand, the rest of the album is top notch and a huge example as to why Al Green is one of the most iconic artist during Soul music’s greatest time period. Hearing the album you can hear it’s influence on future music, for those Hip-Hop fans they may recognise the beginning of “I’m Glad You’re Mine”, as it was sampled for The Notorious B.I.G.’s posthumous song with Eminem, “Dead Wrong”. Whilst, recently "What a Wonderful Thing Love Is" was sampled by Kendrick Lamar for his “6:16 In LA” diss track towards Drake.
Though Let’s Stay Together is viewed as Al Green’s magnum opus and is his most well known body of work, but I’m Still In Love You easily has a case to have the title as Green’s greatest work. It embodies what is so great about Al Green as an artist and singer, and also embodies what was so special about Soul music during the 1970s. It’s an album that should be heralded to the same standard as Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On and Curtis Mayfield’s Curtis.