For 2007’s We’ll Never Turn Back, dyed-in-the-wool legend Staples was sought out by Ry Cooder, who produced. That album, her 11th since 1969, was an understandably smooth affair, but her words were as powerful and redemptive as they were in her Stax heyday.
Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy takes the helm this time, and his skewed take on country infuses proceedings. On his two numbers, particularly the title track, the effect is compelling, as if a soulful ghost is reading his words: words he himself might have struggled to validate. “Open up, this is a raid,” Staples sighs like Tweedy himself, and Wilco fans will find themselves pining for the demo versions. Elsewhere, sadly, songs can sound like session musicians backing a lyric sheet. Rev Gary Davis’ I Belong To The Band and Allen Touissant’s Last Train verge on pedestrian, making for two unwelcome lulls at the album’s heart.
Still, Little Milton’s We’re Gonna Make is cute, and Pops Staples’ You Don’t Knock is a deft gospel number that sets things off well with an upliftingcall- and-response passage. Plus, Staples is alive, clearly enjoying herself, and still being enjoyed. Thank the lord for that.
