I mustered out of the army in 1968, got married in 1969, and the first of our five siblings was born in 1970. As a  young man I came of age in the seventies, and, of course, the music of that era is the soundtrack I intimately relate to. But it’s not just me, the sounds of the seventies resonate around the world and across decades. One of the epic songs of that soulful decade is Al Green’s (1972) “Simply Beautiful”.

Musically it’s not a complex composition–mostly three chords and a four-note prelude backing a plain-spoken lyrical plea. But, damn, it reflects a complexity of emotions in praise of life and loving. That deep, deep feeling that is both sensual, and way beyond just carnal getting it ons. After all, for we human beings, love is a near universal feeling. I mean, at some time or another we have all been caught up in the throes of love, and if not deep up in it, we have fantasized there of.

Well, anyway, here are five takes. Ranging from a screwed and chopped remix that sounds like Al Green’s daddy showing his son how to do it–but it’s really young Mr. Green’s voice electronically altered, from that to an intimate Jose James elegantly/exquisitely backed by just a pianist. Followed by the dangerous beauty (in both sight and sound) of Leela James (no relation to Jose) and a brief visitation from Maxwell seriously acting the fool. And, of course we round it off with Mr. Green himself, in duo with a fellow guitarist. Enjoy.  

–Kalamu ya Salaam