In the 51st edition of Head
2 Head
(2022), Al Green and Chris Stapleton contend for the best rendition of โIโm A Ram.โ
Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head
, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances. Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more. In the 51st edition of head
2 head
(2022),
Al Green and
Chris Stapleton contend for the best rendition of
โIโm A Ramโ. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!
1. Al Green, โIโm a Ramโ
Gets Next to You โข
Hi Records โข
1971
โโCause Iโm a ram, yes I am / And I know just what to do / Think Iโll drive on / And try to get next to youโฆโ
Gets Next to You is one of the great soul albums of the 1970s. Gets Next to You marks the third studio album by soul and later, gospel icon,
Al Green. The best-known Green hit from Canโt Get Next to You is
โTired of Being Aloneโ. That said,
โIโm a Ramโ, a deeper cut in the Green collection, is a gem in its own right.
โIโm a Ramโ may not be considered among the greatest of Al Greenโs greatest hits, but itโs an infectious, must-hear soul joint. The groove is incredibly funky, the riffs are utterly sweet, the horns sublime, and Al โ well โ heโs beastly. Thereโs a certain cool that only Green could generate and generate it he does indeed. He sings incredibly expressive, impressing with his distinct, nuanced pipes. The question is, is Green really singing about an animal โ and a ram of all things? Well, yes and no. Green seems to embody the aggressiveness of the animal as well as being forceful like a battering ram. And, yes, of course, he mentions the fact that โIโm a ram out in the bush /And he needs to be free.โ Woo! Why? To get close to her, of course, which makes sense in the context of the album!
โHey baby
โCause Iโm a ram
Bet your life, I do
โCause Iโm a ram now
And I wanna get next to you
Oh, baby.โ
Would it be far-fetched to say that Green was a bit, um, horny ? Those ram horns and all, I mean!
Appears in :
2. Chris Stapleton, โIโm A Ramโ
โIโm A Ramโ โข
Sound / UMG Recordings, Inc. โข
2022
Chris Stapleton is one of the true bright spots in country music, with his talents transcending beyond the musical genre. That is why it is totally NOT far-fetched that Stapleton covered the
Al Green classic,
โIโm A Ramโ, from his 1971 masterpiece,
Gets Next To You. Stapleton has the skill set to deliver the goods on โIโm A Ram.โ His voice, first and foremost, is incredibly expressive and nuanced โ filled with grit and soul
. That is a big reason why the original by Green is so awesome โ soul, soul, SOUL!
Stapleton and his co-producer,
Dave Cobb, masterfully recreate the simple yet potent, rhythmic backdrop. It is not a copycat mind you, but successfully keeps the essence of the original alive and well. Stapleton, naturally, gives this a bit more of a countrified rock flavor, and it sure is delish. If
โIโm A Ramโ were not already a hit by someone else, you could argue Chris Stapleton delivered a spirited original. His interpretation of this Al Green classic is authentic โ you can tell he put his all into it, as he does with his originals.
Appears in :
The Verdict
Al Green or
Chris Stapleton? That is a heavyweight battle! Stapleton deserves ample credit for a sensational cover of โIโm A Ramโ โ he does a bang-up job. That said, โIโm A Ramโ will ALWAYS belong to Al Green, period. Stapleton would likely agree.
Al Green vs. Chris Stapleton: Head 2 Head
No. 51 (2022) [
: andresilva5, Antoni Shkraba via Pexels, Brent Faulkner, Hi Records,The Musical Hype, Nick Wang on Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, talha khalil, Valentin Tikhonov]
1 Comment
13 Intriguing Songs That Reference Animals | Playlist
ยท January 4, 2023 at 12:01 am
[โฆ] Al Green vs. Chris Stapleton: Head 2 Head
51 (2022) [โฆ]
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