Al Green

It's kinda like the Game says on his new album; if he wants to get with a lady, he puts on Jay-Z. Same with the great Al Green, whose come-hither croon is a seduction tool of no small significance, halfway as it is between heaven and hell, where he finds himself rubbing elbows with fellow soul giants Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and Sam Cooke, his only real competition. If you never heard him before, expect "Let's Stay Together" to hit you like a love cocktail — by the time Al's done doing his thing, you'll be feeling no pain.

The title of Al Green's 1975 album, Love, says it all. The man wasn't just a soul stylist, but a full-fledged preacher, whether delivering "The Love Sermon" or "Jesus Is Waiting," which foreshadowed his later move back to the gospel he was raised on. But these cuts weren't just about his unbelievably supple voice, smothered in grits and hot buttered soul, capable of both an aching falsetto or a commanding baritone; they're also about Hi Records whiz Willie Mitchell, who punctuated so many of them with his trademark, languid Memphis horn arrangements and sticky-as-molasses production.

Soul music is born of the conflict between the spirit and the flesh, and no one characterizes that battle more than Al Green. Although he's often associated with Memphis, Green's actually from Grand Rapids, MI, and that Midwestern earnestness would eventually bring him to the Lord, a calling reflected in the penitent "God Is Standing By," "Nearer My God to Thee," and "I Gotta Be More (Take Me Higher)." What made Green so special was the fact that he sang about his spiritual beliefs with the same sensual urgency he'd use on so many beautiful women.

When it comes to the ways of seduction, there's no more effective combination than a bottle of wine, some soft candlelight, and Al Green having his way with the sound system. Simple as that. Green's plush vocals could transform even the most sentimental pop into extended foreplay. And we know we don't have to tell you what the man could do with a baby-making jam like "I'm Still in Love with You." But if his between-the-sheets sounds are all you know, you know only one side of Al's Spirit/flesh coin. When he transformed into the Right Reverend, putting that voice to work in the service of the Almighty, he made true believers out of anyone. Folks, this isn't just another playlist; it's the sound of soul music itself — from the bedroom to the church and just about everywhere in between.