You Are Not Alone

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' 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' 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' message of joy and redemption has found the setting it has always deserved.