Mavis Staples - "You Are Not Alone"
Lately it definitely feels like art reflecting life. Suddenly everyone’s got the blues or is searching for a spiritual lift. This year Cyndi Lauper gave us Memphis Blues, Tom Jones gave us Praise and Blame, and even Robert Plant’s latest release (Band of Joy) has elements of mystical searching. Mavis Staples has also released a spiritual recording made through one of the most compelling collaborations of all time with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco fame. Of course Mavis Staples has been releasing gospel records for years, so You Are Not Alone is just the latest. Together Staples and Tweedy have produced a thrilling and uplifting mix of blues and spiritual richness that immediately raises hopes of music fans that they will work together again. And if you believe the liner notes, it seems that Staples would love to repeat the effort.
While Staples has a long history of gospel recordings - with both her family band The Staples Singers and as a solo artist - this is anything but a typical gospel record. At times there is fire and brimstone but there is also the soulful secular and the social consciousness Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers have a long and rich history of recording. For his part, Tweedy brings enough influence to enhance the sound without altering Staples’ signature sound. His guitar work and guiding hands take this spiritual down a bluesier path and the two original songs he contributed to the album he produced are among its best. But yet, while It seems obvious to sat this, the most amazing thing about You Are Not Alone is Mavis Staples voice. It is hard to believe that at 71 her voice is still so true. Her strong singing continues to offer that wonderful blend of soulful, sultriness and warm comfort that is uniquely hers.
The album opens with my favorite “Pops” Staples composition, ‘Don’t Knock’, a song originally recorded by The Staples Singers over forty years ago. The 2010 version is stripped down, revealing a definite rockabilly vibe. Kelly Hogan and Nora O’ Connor offer backing vocals reminiscent of The Jordanaires. Another “Pops” Staples’ song that gets a bit of an update here is ‘Downward Road’. This song is more in the tradition of: change your ways or enjoy eternal damnation. Musically it always had a bluesy bend, the latest version though is given a more “bijou texture.” Similarly, in the traditional gospel vein Staple’s does ‘Creep Along Moses’. Her performance on these gospel tracks is powerful without being didactic. Tweedy’s arrangement of ‘In Christ There is No East or West’ offers shades of The Staples Singers’ ‘Touch A Hand and Make A Friend’. Throughout Staples brings you to this higher spiritual understanding and as a listener you want to jump on that train. By the time she sings ‘I Belong To The Band’ you can’t help but clap your hands and consider donning a choir robe.
Tweedy’s the slow tempo title track offers support and solidarity for those feeling isolation in their pain and personal struggles. It is a simple composition sung with sincerity and every ounce of soul and compassion ever mustered in a Mavis Staples vocal performance. Tweedy’s other composition ‘Only The Lord Knows’ opens with a classic pounding blues riff that drives the song. For Tweedy’s part both of these songs mark a bit of a refreshing departure for him. Tweedy’s work with Wilco sometimes seems over intellectualized, whereas with these numbers it is all about feeling. And it feels good.
Staples also covers Randy Newman and Allan Toussaint in this collection, but, of the secular song selections, the most successful is Staples’ version of John Fogerty’s ‘Wrote a Song For Everyone’. Staples delivers this song with such joyful exuberance the listener can’t help but smile.
And with a stroke of timely brilliance, blues and soul great Little Milton’s “We’re Going to Make It’ proves to be just as relevant today as it was when originally released in the mid-sixties. This song could be the theme or affirmation for so many who currently feel desperate and hopeless in an economy and political climate tone deaf to their plight: “We may have to fight hardships alone/But were gonna make it/I know we will/Cause togetherness brings peace of mind/We can't stay down all the time.”
Not since Mavis joined her sisters and father has she enjoyed such a successful collaboration. From choice of material to arrangements to performances this record is pitch perfect. This album feels like it picked up where The Staple Singers left off. The music is full of message without being preachy. Sadly the idea of spirituality and morality has been co-opted and over and over and misapplied so often that such notions have become pejorative. However when the Staples offer us life lessons the import is so clear, you can’t help but listen. When “Pops” and his girls told us to ‘Respect Yourself’, we did. When they told us to ‘Be Careful of the Stones That You Throw’, the message was too powerful to ignore and we took notice. Listening to all that Mavis sings on You Are Not Alone, you are moved and transformed and left with the hope that Miss Mavis Staples will keep testifying and that she and Jeff Tweedy collaborate again very soon.
