Let It Be: Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney and Harrison

Liner Note Author: Tony Rounce.
Recording information: Criteria Studios, Miami (1964); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1964); Criteria Studios, Miami (1965); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1965); Criteria Studios, Miami (1968); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1968); Criteria Studios, Miami (1969); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1969); Criteria Studios, Miami (1970); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1970); Criteria Studios, Miami (1971); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1971); Criteria Studios, Miami (1972); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1972); Criteria Studios, Miami (1976); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1976); Criteria Studios, Miami (1978); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1978); Criteria Studios, Miami (1981); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1981); Criteria Studios, Miami (1999); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (1999); Criteria Studios, Miami (2009); Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama (2009).
A sequel to Ace's 2011 compilation Come Together: Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney, the 2016 set Let It Be: Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney and Harrison expands upon its predecessor, finding space for selections from the '80s and even the 2000s (nevertheless, most of these 22 songs are from the '60s and '70s) plus songs from George Harrison too. "Something" is indeed here, presented in an expansive, seductive 12-minute rendition from Isaac Hayes, and its presence suggests just how far-reaching Let It Be is. Hayes sits alongside Ella Fitzgerald's funky version of "Savoy Truffle," an unexpected combination of singer and song that finds its match in Nina Simone's moodily elegant "Here Comes the Sun," not to mention Little Junior Parker's slow, trippy version of "Tomorrow Never Knows." Such delights are rampant on Let It Be. Only a handful of cuts adhere to the original arrangements, but even those put a distinctive personality on the tunes: Earth, Wind & Fire funkify "Got to Get You Into My Life," Fats Domino rolls through "Lovely Rita," and Arthur Conley gives the ska of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" some grit. More than its predecessor, Let It Be stands as a testament to both the songbook of the Beatles and the imaginative interpretations of black America. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine