 Mavis Staples & Lucky Peterson In some ways, pairing Mavis Staples (youngest Staple Singer) with the songs associated with Mahalia Jackson is too obvious a match; it somehpw detracts from the enjoyment of the album. You're expecting atomic explosions and you get fireworks. Mavis sings solo, accompanied only by Lucky Peterson on (alternately) Hammond B-3 and piano. The songs are familiar spirituals: "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen," "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," "Go Down, Moses," "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," etc. Some of the better tracks are the ones that are not such warhorses: "A Rusty Old Halo," "I'll Fly Away From Here," and the shining "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again." The last track, "Stand By Me" (not that "Stand By Me"), features Mavis overdubbed in duet with herself. The effect is really stirring and somewhat disorienting, not unlike Abbey Lincoln's "People in Me." Still, fireworks from Mavis Staples beat atomic explosions from the Atomic Explosions anyday. (Er, to the best of my knowledge, there is no actual band called the Atomic Explosions.) This is a satisfying album that suffers only from our being equipped with an imagination.
Review by Johnnie Bourgeois |