Four of Lay It Down's eleven tracks were written on the first day of recording, and that spontaneity is apparent, helping leaven what could have just become a stifled opportunity. Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson gets that Al Jackson groove down on "Just For Me", and John Legend's cameo on "You've Got The Luv I Need" holds its own. Sure, most of the album's incredibly smooth, and there may be too many slow jams for many people's tastes, but ?uest and James Poyser clearly know Willie Mitchell's work, delivering an intriguing experiment that's respectful but thankfully isn't overly reverent, either.