Artist Guide

Al Green #1 Single! "To Love Somebody"

Originally published in Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 Singles.

Daddy B. Nice's Top 10 "BREAKING" Southern Soul Singles For. . .

February 2026

1. "To Love Somebody"-------Al Green

Al Green. Pass the tissue. Tears welling up. Not as old as Johnnie Taylor would be if he were still alive. (Incidentally, J.T.'s fabulous, AI-generated "Soul Heaven" short is currently blowing up TikTok.) Nor as old as Bobby Rush, Latimore or Clarence Carter. Yet of all these greats---and despite his indomitable mainstream fame---Al Green has been the most neglected by 21st-century southern soul-ers, having disappeared down the rabbit-hole of gospel for decades. But you don't have to be a nostalgia-hooked grannie to appreciate the cutting-edge force of this unforeseen bombshell combining vocal grit and brilliance, authentic emotion and state-of-the-art production on a scale contemporary southern soul has seldom if ever attained, notwithstanding 2025's award-winning (and jaw-dropping) "Gas Station Love". With its symphonic instrumental track blending live organ, piano, violins, viola, cello and more, "To Love Somebody" reminds us of how much studio money went into the great 20th century soul tracks and, sadly, how much was lost with their demise. In fact, this cover of an early Bee Gee's hit single marks the best use of strings of any southern soul song of this century. From the brand new four-track Al Green EP of the same name.

Listen to Al Green singing "To Love Somebody" on YouTube.

--Daddy B. Nice