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 The Reverend Al Green is known the world over for his extraordinary voice, his unmistakable sound and his
legendary hits. With Everything’s OK, his new release for Blue Note Records, Al Green comes to an exciting new chapter
in his artistry. Strong in voice and in spirit, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer sings a dozen songs that reveal his renewed
passion for the kind of music that made him a household name some 30 years ago.
It was in the early 1970s that Green carved his place in music history with a run of celebrated hits
that made him not just an R&B star but a pop icon. Since 1976, however, Green has concentrated on gospel music (recording
numerous albums, but only two pop offerings), and since 1979 has led his Baptist congregation, the Full Gospel Tabernacle,
in Memphis, Tenn. For Everything’s OK, Green embraces both worlds by releasing a "secular" album under the name the
Reverend Al Green—a symbolic gesture, perhaps, but a significant one nonetheless.
"I wanted to put on this album who I am—to 'fess up to it," Green says, laughing. "I'm the Reverend
Al Green, and everybody calls me that, from Argentina all the way to the Catskills. So that's who I am."
Everything’s OK is not a gospel album, however—musically, it draws on classic R&B and
pop, and the lyrics speak of love relationships and life lessons. But for Green, 58, it has come time to spread his message
beyond the pulpit.
"I've got people in the church saying, 'That's a secular song,' and I'm saying, Yeah, but you've got
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to be anything other than spiritual. You've got to live those days,
too!" says Green, clearly revitalized by his latest recording. "Everybody still needs love, needs happiness in the family,
needs to keep the kids on track."
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