You Are Not Alone

You can't really classify Mavis--she's less a gospel singer or soul singer and more a piece of American history in musical form, and she uses her voice to channel her unique experience and her special spirit.

On this album she does sing quite a few gospel songs, and you can really hear how vital her faith is to her life. But her band is a rocking, rootsty, bluesy trio, her backup singers range from indie rockers (the Neko Case affiliated duo of Nora O'Connor and Kelly Hogan) to 70's-power ballad veterans (Donny Gerrard sang lead on a Top Ten hit for Skylark that Tupac sampled), and with Jeff Tweedy picking decidedly non-gospel songs by Fogerty, Randy Newman, Little Milton and Allen Touissant plus writing two new ones for her to sing, the record easily transcends the "gospel" tag. The result is a rollicking set of songs with the common denominator being Mavis' force of nature voice soaring, celebrating, whispering and goading you into smiling and nodding and singing along.

While not every song totally works ('Creep Along Moses' is a little too stuttery and off-the-wall for me), the halfway track, "I Belong To the Band" epitomizes the album: Mavis singing an old-timey standard with all her heart and soul and creating a joyful, jumping house party singalong with a fat bassline and a killer guitar solo. And even an atheist can love that...

I've been a fan of Mavis Staples as part of the Staples Singers and especially since her early outings as a solo artist on Volt with Steve Cropper and Don Davis producing. Since the demise of Stax, Mavis had a great album produced by Prince and Al Bell. Since then, apart from an outing with Lucky Peterson on Verve, her output has been very spotty. On this album, she's back in great form. I've not followed Jeff Tweedy but his production is really sympathetic to her voice as well as soulful - with a lead guitar that while lacking some of the melody is reminiscent of Pops Staples. A really good album. Also sounds better on CD than on the Amazon sound clips.

What a treat to stumble onto this album streaming alongside Robert Plant's brilliant new record "Band of Joy" on the the excellent New Public Radio. Mavis Staples voice at the age of 71 remains a minor miracle and her gospel zeal is fundamentally intact. On her version of "Pops" Staples "Downward Road" the third song on this new album she openly berates those amongst us who are "unbelieving souls" and it is indeed a fearsome salutatory warning to all ungodly pagans (I must pop along to the the old non conformist chapel one Sunday!) Indeed listening to her enduring and rich deep soul contralto it suggests that being on the side of the lord has done her no harm whatsoever with this set of deeply rooted gospel songs being her best in years. An additional and more secular factor may also be the presence of Wilco's resident genius Jeff Tweedy providing the albums production and a couple of songs including the gently rolling country soul of the title track which must be one of the best songs that Tweedy has never recorded with his own band.

The Tweedy-Staples pairing does not seem that likely a partnership but shared love of both of them for Chicago blues, gospel and R&B provides the unifying force and it works a treat. No where is this more apparent than on the stirring "Creep along Moses" which is the type of gospel powerhouse infused with the emotion that is at the heart of soul music and is an aural delight to savour. It takes considerable restraint not to utter a loud "hallelujah" at the songs conclusion. The mood slows on Staples dramatic cover of Randy Newman's "Losing you" which is infused with so much genuine authenticity and passion that it will barely leave a dry eye in the house particularly when she sings "Do you know how much you mean to me?/Should've told you `cause it's true/I'd get over losing anything/But I'll never get over losing you". It is spine tingling cover and please download it and let it wash over all over you. The funky blues of her cover of Allen Toussaint's "Last train" is effortless while the stellar acapella version of traditional arrangement "Wonderful saviour" is a model of its kind. The album however saves the best until last with Staples take on the double pairing of "Too Close To Heaven/I'm On My Way To Heaven Anyhow" which taps into blues so deep its almost primal. Truly epic music.

Overall Tweedy's production is hugely sympathetic and like all great musicians he recognises that the most the powerful instrument should take centre stage. In this case it is the voice of Staples which is the star of the show and throughout she is a veritable powerhouse of emotion but also gentle restraint when needed. That said when she lets rip on a cover of the Reverend Gary Davis spiritual "I Belong to the Band - hallelujah" the woman is a force of nature. Tonight millions will watch yet again distinctively average singers strain and warble in front of the X factor judges (some of whom in turn can barely strain and warble). They would be much better employed seeking out the wonderful music of this stellar singer and civil rights activist for this is the real deal with Staples vocally the strongest she has ever been. Her voice ranges from a churchy low register to an hurricane which could tear the roof off and it was this that that led Bob Dylan to describe the first time he heard her sing, "That just made my hair stand up, listening to that. I mean, that just seemed like, that's the way the world is". Staples has influenced all from Aretha to Prince and long may she run.