Al Green, “The Belle Album,” the Right Stuff *** 1/2

Just 39 minutes, but a gem from the greatest soul singer of his generation. This 1977 album was significant in two ways: Not only did Green take over the production chores from longtime cohort Willie Mitchell, he also made his formal move from secular to spiritual music. The key line in the song “Belle” was directed at a woman, but it could just as easily have been aimed at his old pop fans: “Belle, the Lord and I have been friends for a mighty long time. . . . / Belle, it’s you that I want / But it’s Him that I need.”

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