When Jeff Tweedy and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and legend Mavis Staples sat
down to talk about what they wanted the new Mavis Staples album to sound
like, they both turned to the original spiritual roots of the Staples Singers as a
backbone. Both wanted to make a record about connection, about reaching
out to someone through the power of music. What they achieved is possibly the
album of Staples career, a warm, powerful and fervent collection of brilliantly
chosen and interpreted songs.
Produced by fellow Chicagoan Jeff Tweedy at
Wilco's studio The Loft, the intimate and textured production 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.
Backed by Mavis's
smoking touring band and featuring guest turns from Tweedy and Wilco's
Patrick Sansone, with background vocals by Kelly Hogan and Nora O'Connor,
the album cradles Mavis's exquisite voice, allowing her to stretch out
emotionally on tracks like Randy Newman's "Losing You" and the Creedence
Clearwater chesnut "Wrote a Song For Everyone."
The two songs Jeff wrote for
Mavis also meld seamlessly into the vibe and theme of the album: "He would
listen to my conversations, my words, and then feed off that... The songs he
wrote take me places I wouldn't normally go," says Mavis. Sure to be one of
the best-received releases of 2010, Mavis's message of joy and redemption has
found the setting it has always deserved. From the Label
