Al Green Releases First New Single In Five Years
Al Green is back with his first single in five years. The newly released offering, “Perfect Day,” is a soulful cover of Lou Reed’s 1972 classic, which was originally produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson.
When speaking on why he chose this record for his comeback, Green explained in a statement, “I loved Lou’s original ‘Perfect Day.’ The song immediately puts you in a good mood. We wanted to preserve that spirit, while adding our own sauce and style.”
First recorded back in February in Memphis, the Matthew Johnson and Bruce Watson-produced song reconnected Green with members of the Hi Rhythm Section, who were the driving force behind some of his biggest hits. He also tapped U.K. bred singer, RAYE, for background vocals.
This fall, the crooner will embark on a brief tour over Thanksgiving weekend following his September show in California.
He will be joined by Angela Winbush at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on Nov. 24 and at St. Charles’ The Family Arena in St. Charles, MO, on Nov. 25 with special guest, Bettye Lavette. Tickets go on-sale this Friday (Aug. 25) at 10 a.m. local time.
“I’ll be looking for everybody that has heard ‘Love and Happiness‘ and ‘Let’s Stay Together’ at the concert tours,” Green teased.
“Perfect Day” follows his 2018 cover of Freddy Fender’s “Before The Next Teardrop Falls,” which was part of Amazon Music’s “Produced By” series. It arrived a decade after his last proper album, Lay It Down. The LP was produced by Questlove and included guest appearances by Corinne Bailey Rae, Anthony Hamilton, and John Legend. It broke the top 10 of Billboard’s Top Album charts and garnered a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.
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