The second comeback effort from Booker T Jones for Anti-! All around, it's a more sharply-honed and classics-steeped set than its solid, but more southern rock-inflected predecessor – one the finds the Stax organ titan backed by co-producers ?uestlove & Rob Schnapf, Dennis Coffey and ... read moreCD
A surprisingly wonderful set from deep soul diva Bettye Lavette – a record that's actually as good as most of her older work, and that's something we didn't expect! We'll be honest in saying that we're always pretty darn suspicious of comeback albums by older soul singers – and usually ... read moreCD
The long-overdue return of Bettye Lavette to Muscle Shoals – the scene of her ill-fated album for Atlantic Records from the early 70s – hence the title of this album! The style here is certainly classic, and very old school – with backings provided by The Drive-By Truckers, whose ... read moreCD
Bettye Lavette's best record yet for Anti- – a modern classic from a bonafide legendary deep soul singer – and she sounds as wonderful as she has in years! If her voice has picked up some grit over the years, it's no less beautiful – and the experience only enhances the material. ... read moreCD
Mavis Staples takes the stage at one of our favorite hometown haunts – performing live with small combo backing, in a sound that's even rootsier than some of her recent records! The setting is a great one for Mavis, and it's nicely free of some of the hoke that can sometimes creep in – ... read moreCD
(Still sealed, cutout hole through case and tray card.)
A rootsy exploration of themes from the Civil Rights movement by Mavis Staples – getting the Anti treatment here with some real back-to-basics production from Ry Cooder! The sound is possibly even more down home than any of Mavis solo work from years back – certainly more so than her ... read moreCD
A rawly beautiful set from Mavis Staples – produced by Jeff Tweedy, and we think it's her best of the past decade! There's a roomy, lived in vibe that's achingly effective on this one – the core group is her road band, with additional players including Tweedy, Patrick Sansone, Mark ... read moreCD