Mavis Staples
September 2010
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and soul/gospel legend Mavis Staples delivers wall-to-wall joy on her triumphant new album.
Produced by fellow Chicagoan Jeff Tweedy at Wilco's studio The Loft, the intimate and textured production showcases the iconic singer at her most powerful and fervent. You Are Not Alone mixes traditional gospel numbers with two new songs written for Mavis by Tweedy, plus her unique interpretations of songs by Pops Staples, Randy Newman, Allen Toussaint, John Fogerty, Rev. Gary Davis and Little Milton.
November 2008
On Monday June 23rd a lucky few Chicagoans were treated to an intimate performance at the Hideout by the leading lady of protest, Mavis Staples. Accustomed to appearances at large venues, particularly in her hometown - the Windy City itself - Staples played with a stripped down, raw and swampy three-piece band and just a handful of back-up singers, providing a rare opportunity for fans to get close and sweaty with a figure who has led the musical charge towards equality and justice for the past five decades. Fortunately, the magical set was captured on tape, and now the rest of us can experience the righteous protest and joyful inspiration Mavis imparted that evening via Live: Hope at the Hideout.
April 2007
A stunning achievement from one of America's most revered soul/gospel singers, Mavis Staples. Produced by Ry Cooder, this album is built around freedom songs of the civil rights movement. Some are traditional, some appropriated for the theme, and others are originals. As much a celebration of hard-won freedom as a reminder of past and current injustices, this album is first and foremost a platform for Mavis's stirring voice, one that is as much a liberating force as any protest. Cooder, to his credit, keeps things appropriately raw and immediate, and the band always positions Staples at the front of the line. As deeply moving as any album made in 2007, We'll Never Turn Back is at once a call to arms, a new cadence for a new march, and the celebratory soundtrack for the jubilee on the other side of the mountain.
