Mavis Staples makes a big nod here to the indie underground that have really helped support her recent comeback – working with production from Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, who also contributed new songs to the record – alongside Alan Sparhawk of Low, and the legendary Nick Lowe too! The setting is nicely understated at times – in a mode that's gentler, and not nearly as forceful as some of Staples other comeback recordings – a change that we really appreciate a lot, as Tweedy seems to find a folksy element in Mavis' singing that hasn't been captured this well in years. Titles include a remake of the Funkadelic classic "Can You Get To That" – plus "Holy Ghost", "Sow Good Seeds", "What Are They Doing In Heaven These Days", "One True Vine", and "Far Celestial Shore". CD

Lost work from a really obscure period in the career of Mavis Staples – post-Stax, but before her big revival of later years – and a date that has her working with the Holland Dozier Holland time in a mighty nice mode! The classic Mavis vocals are very firmly in place, but the record's also got a warmer glow than usual – great arrangements from Jesse Saunders, who again comes to the record as a bit of a surprise – but really helps make a setting that's very fresh for the Staples sound, especially if you've heard as many records by Mavis as us! The style is great – almost like some of the coolest southern/modern soul blends of the period – and titles include "Love Gone Bad", "Show Me", "Falling In Love", "Beat Well Done", "See What You Started", and "Holding On To Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the greatest female soul records ever to come from Chicago – a killer set of work from the legendary Ruby Andrews! Ruby's a hell of a talent that should have been huge at a national level – possessed with a deep soul style that matched the best from Betty Lavette or Mavis Staples, but often set up in more sophisticated arrangements too – in a mode that worked perfectly in a "double-edged sword" model that was often employed by other Chicago singers, like Barbara Acklin or Patty Drew. The album was issued as a follow-up to Ruby's massive cut "Casanova", which is a perfect example of this style – with Ruby's raw vocals over the top, some loping string arrangements underneath, and the whole thing working perfectly together in an amazing blend of styles! The whole album's incredibly strong, and other tracks include "Casanova 70", "You Made A Believer Out Of Me", "Tit For Tat", and "Can You Get Away". CD

Fantastic work from Australian soul singer Emma Donovan – an artist who's grown greatly in the space between her last album with The Putbacks – to a point where she and the group really stand apart from most other records of this nature! This isn't a funk group doing a retro thing with a female singer in the lead – and instead, the whole thing is a very well-crafted soul record – not entirely contemporary, but really free of overdone 60s and 70s modes – as the Putbacks often move in slow-stepping funky styles, which really lets the deep deep sound of Emma's vocals build and resonate powerfully over the righteous lyrics of the tunes. The record's got the kind of global appeal that will have you shuffling away your recent Mavis Staples albums for the younger, more personal vibe that Donovan and the group bring here – on titles that include "Mob March", "Crossover", "Don't Give Up On Me", "Leftovers", "Pretty One", and "Hold On". CD

Fantastic work from Australian soul singer Emma Donovan – an artist who's grown greatly in the space between her last album with The Putbacks – to a point where she and the group really stand apart from most other records of this nature! This isn't a funk group doing a retro thing with a female singer in the lead – and instead, the whole thing is a very well-crafted soul record – not entirely contemporary, but really free of overdone 60s and 70s modes – as the Putbacks often move in slow-stepping funky styles, which really lets the deep deep sound of Emma's vocals build and resonate powerfully over the righteous lyrics of the tunes. The record's got the kind of global appeal that will have you shuffling away your recent Mavis Staples albums for the younger, more personal vibe that Donovan and the group bring here – on titles that include "Mob March", "Crossover", "Don't Give Up On Me", "Leftovers", "Pretty One", and "Hold On". LP, Vinyl record album

RTJ come on with the force of a hurricane on the very first track – and don't let up throughout the course of this completely sharp 4th LP – a record that may owe plenty to the spirit of 2020, even if just as an antidote to what ails us! EL P and Killer Mike sound more urgent than ever before – clearly brimming over with energy and a sense of message – so much so that the album's guests almost dim in comparison – although we do appreciate the work from Mavis Staples, 2 Chainz, Greg Nice, DJ Premier, and Pharrell Williams! The record is full of sharp samples and production modes that punch with the force of a fist – and titles include "Out Of Sight", "Holy Calamafuck", "Goonies Vs ET", "Walking In The Snow", "Ju$t", "Yankee & The Brave", "Never Look Back", "Ooh La La", "A Few Words For The Firing Squad", and "Pulling The Pin". LP, Vinyl record album

Darn nice work from The Staple Singers – a record that seems to take the leaner, meaner sound learned by the group during their soundtrack years, and turn it back towards the fuller, more righteous sound of the Stax years! The album was recorded at Muscle Shoals, with very solid production and instrumentation throughout – a top-shelf effort that shows that even at this later date, a group like The Staples can still get some good sounds out of the studio. A few tracks are a bit mis-stepped, especially when Mavis steps out a bit too strongly in the lead – but overall, there's plenty of nice surprises on the record – and tracks include "Chica Boom", "Don't Burn Me", "Handwriting On The Wall", "Mystery Train", "I Want You To Dance", "Love Being Your Fool", "Showdown", "Unlock Your Mind", and "Leave It All Up To Love". CD also features a bonus single edit of "Chica Boom". CD

Includes 24 tracks from Buddy Guy, Larry Johnson, India Arie, Keb Mo, Mavis Staples, Solomon Burke, Mos Def, Gregg Allman, Natalie Cole and Odetta. CD

RTJ come on with the force of a hurricane on the very first track – and don't let up throughout the course of this completely sharp 4th LP – a record that may owe plenty to the spirit of 2020, even if just as an antidote to what ails us! EL P and Killer Mike sound more urgent than ever before – clearly brimming over with energy and a sense of message – so much so that the album's guests almost dim in comparison – although we do appreciate the work from Mavis Staples, 2 Chainz, Greg Nice, DJ Premier, and Pharrell Williams! The record is full of sharp samples and production modes that punch with the force of a fist – and titles include "Out Of Sight", "Holy Calamafuck", "Goonies Vs ET", "Walking In The Snow", "Ju$t", "Yankee & The Brave", "Never Look Back", "Ooh La La", "A Few Words For The Firing Squad", and "Pulling The Pin". CD