Mavis Staples
Band members Related acts
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- Mavis
Staples - vocals
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- Roebuck 'Pops' Staple (solo efforts)
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Genre: soul Rating: **** (4 star) Title: Mavis Staples Company: Volt Catalog: VOS 6007 Year: 1969 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: small tear on front cover Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 1945 Price: SOLD $20.00
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Given the late-60s attention The Staple Singers attracted, it was only a matter of time before Mavis Staples was given an opportunity to record a solo collection. That opportunity came in 1969 with the release of the "Mavis Staples". Produced and arranged by Steve Cropper, the album wasn't a major departure from Staples work with the rest of her family. Anyone who enjoyed their hybrid of Gospel and soul influences was likely to find this collection equally engaging. At the center of it all was Mavis Staples special voice. I'll readily admit bias. To my ears she simply had one of the best voices in popular music and I would probably buy an album that featured her singing newspaper clippings. While this mixture of pop and soul hits and lesser known tunes wasn't an ideal platform for Staples, she managed to make even the most pedestrian tunes worth hearing. Admittedly the set wasn't perfect; way too many covers of well known hits (Son of a Preacher Man' and Sam Cooke's 'You Send Me') and the decision to cover 'A House Is not a Home' was a waste of time. Still Staples was the real deal - stunning (no wonder Bob Dylan wanted to marry her), and gifted with that amazing voice. That made you wonder why Stax picked the unflattering cover photo ... what was with the star on her forehead? But, if that was my biggest criticism, you knew this album was good.
"Mavis Staples" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Until I Met You (Willy Hutchinson) - 2:48 Her voice was instantly recognizable (as was Steve Cropper's guitar), but the breezy, beach-music vibe was totally unexpected ... and delightful. You had to wonder how radio managed to miss this radio-ready tune. rating: **** stars 2.) Sweet Things You Do (Eddie Floyd - Isbell - Booker T. Jones) - 2:38 Forget everyone else - they're simply imitators. Staples simply encapsulated the very best of Southern soul on this one ... talk about a voice that simply oozed sexy !!! rating: **** stars 3.) The Choking Kind (Harlan Howard) - 3:24 Remember how Aretha made 'Respect' her tune ? Well, if you knew this song as a big hit for Joe Simon, get ready to totally forget that version. Kicked along by one of the best bass lines you've ever heard (Donald Duck Dunn ?), without even breaking into a sweat. Mavis simply blows this one out of the studio rating: **** stars 4.) You're Driving Me (To the Arms of a Stranger) (F. Briggs) - 3:23 This was the perfect tune to showcase that unique catch in Mavis' voice - I wish I could describe it, but it's simply one of those things that you recognize when you hear it ... A mixture of vulnerability, sexiness, and strength. With some amazing drumming (Al Jackson ?), the result was a killer tune which Volt tapped as a single:
- 1969's 'You're Driving Me (To the Arms of a Stranger)' b/w 'House Is Not a Home' (Volt catalog number VOA-4020) rating: **** stars 5.) A House Is not a Home (Burt Bacharach - Hal David) - 4:27 I'd argue her cover of 'A House Is not a Home' was the album's first misstep. Mind you, there wasn't anything wrong with her cover, but the tune was simply too MOR-ish for her own good. Besides, this one was "owned" by Dionne Warwick. rating: *** stars
(side 2) 1.) Security (Otis Redding - Wessen) - 2:47 Bringing out the gritty side of her voice. Staples turned in a nice up-tempo cover of the overlooked Otis Redding classic. rating: **** stars 2.) Son of a Preacher Man (Hurley - WIlkins) - 2:17 Probably because I grew up on the Dusty Springfield version, it took me a little while to warm up to the Stax-ified covered. Glad I gave it a chance since Steve Cropper's horn-powered arrangement was excellent. It won't make you forget Dusty's version, but it's certain a contender. rating: *** stars 3.) Pick Up the Pieces (Barker - Davis - Briggs) - 3:06 Whereas most of the album reflected a Stax feel and flavor, 'Pick Up the Pieces' demonstrated Staples was equally at home in a Motown-styled setting. The song structure was a bit of a mess, seemingly stitching together a couple of discrete melodies, but Staples sang the hell out of the tune, making for another standout performance. rating: **** stars 4.) Chained (Frank Wilson) - 2:50 'Chained' was another slice of Motown-influenced soul (Marvin Gaye had previously recorded the tune). For some reason this one never did much for me. I think part of the problem stems from the fact Staples seemed to be trying too hard. She sounded as if she was uncomfortable in the song's key and the chirpy backing singers were simply distracting. rating: *** stars 5.) Good To Me (Otis Redding - Green) - 3:15 Every time I hear this cover I wonder what a Staples/Redding collaboration would have sounded like. Her performance mined the same deep soul niche that Redding was so good at. rating: ***** stars 6.) You Send Me (L.C. Cook) - 2:56 Given how iconic this Sam Cooke tune is, I simply wasn't expecting much of the cover. Maybe because she knew she couldn't do the tune any better than Cooke, Staples' low-key, easy going, slightly bluesy remake was surprisingly enjoyable. rating: *** stars
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Genre: soul Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Only for the Lonely Company: Volt Catalog: VOS-6010 Year: 1970 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring and edge wear; white label promo copy Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD 4482 Price: SOLD $25.00 Cost: $66.00
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There aren't many acts out there for whom I'd be willing to part with my hard earned cash site unseen. Mavis Staples is one of those exceptions. She is one of those singers whom God seems to have truly blessed with an amazing instrument - a voice that sounds good pretty much no matter what she's singing.
Produced by Don Davis, 1970's "Only for the Lonely" was Staples' second solo album and in spite of the dorky title and cover, it's a classic setting for her instantly recognizable voice. Unfortunately, without the support of her father and sisters, the results are a little too heavy oriented towards heavily orchestrated ballads (most of the nine tracks are slow numbers). With a voice like Staples' you can overlook that drawback to some extent. Still, given she's so much better in a more up-tempo, pseudo-Gospel environment Volt's decision to try to market her as a diva was an artistic and commercial mistake. Probably not a surprise, but my personal favorites are the handful of up tempo numbers, including 'You're the Fool', 'What Happened To the Real Me' and 'It Makes Me Wanna Cry'.
"Only for the Lonely" track listing: (side 1) 1.) I Have Learned To Do Without You (Barnes - Don Davis - Jordan) - 4:14 2.) How Many Times (Frank - Soule - Woodford) - 3:27 3.) Endlessly (Benton - Otis) - 3:19 4.) You're the Fool (McMahan) - 2:46
(side 2) 1.) Since I Fell for You (Johnson) - 3:41 2.) What Happened To the Real Me (Penzabene) - 2:40 3.) Since You Became a Part of My Life (Bridges - Eaton - Knight - Stone) - 3:34 4.) It Makes Me Wanna Cry (Banks) - 2:56 5.) Don't Change Me Now - 2:25
4.) Don't Change Me Now (Ballard - Briggs - Carter) - 2:29 |
Genre: soul Rating: * (1 star) Title: Oh What a Feeling Company: Warner Brothers Catalog: BSK-3319 Year: 1979 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Grade (cover/record): VG / VG Comments: minor edge wear; small cut out notch along lower seam Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4700 Price: $9.00 Cost: $66.00
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The combination of Mavis Staples' magnificent voice (Prince was right when he said she was the epitamy of soul), producers Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett and the cream of Muscle Shoals studio musicians should have been magical. Unfortunately, it isn't. Most of 1979's "Oh What a Feeling" is pedestrian, if not outright boring. Exemplified by material such as the discofied opener 'Tonight I Feel Like Dancing'' and 'You're Made That Way' (c'mon, why try to turn her into The Doobie Brothers?), even Staples' can't rescue this plodding collection. To tell you the truth, it's hard to even come up with a favorite track. If forced in a corner, I'd give the nod to the title track, or the mildly funky 'If I Can't Have You'. Not that it's good, rather it isn't as bad as the rest of the album. Sad, sad, sad ... Elsewhere, in a shameless effort to score a hit with the disco crowd, Warner Brothers tapped 'Tonight I Feel Like Dancing' b/w 'If I Can't Have You' (Warner Brothers catalog WBS-8838) as a single.
"Only for the Lonely" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Tonight I Feel Like Dancing (P. Alves - Barry Beckett - M. Giacomell - George Jackson) - 6:08 2.) Let Love Come Between Us (J. Wyker III) - 3:24 3.) Loving You (R. Fairfax - Al Green - F. Jordan) - 4:07 4.) I Don't Want To Lose My Good Thing (Larry John McNally) - 3:15 5.) I've Been To the Well Before (Paul Kelly) - 3:54
(side 2) 1.) Oh What a Feeling (J. Weaver - T. Jones III) -3:03 2.) If I Can't Have You (Paul Kelly) - 4:48 3.) You're Made That Way (Michael McDonald - Keith Knudson - Jeff Baxter) - 3:55 4.) I Miss You (Since You've Gone) (Paul Kelly) - 5:03 5.) We Got Love (Paul Kelly) - 2:47
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Genre: soul Rating: ** (2 star) Title: Time Waits For No One Company: Paisley Park Catalog: 25798-1 Year: 1989 Country/State: Chicago, Illinois Grade (cover/record): VG / VG Comments: minor edge wear; original lyric inner sleeve; small promo stamp on front cover Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5046 Price: $9.00
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Mavis Staples and Prince got to know each other while working on the film "Graffiti Bridge". Apparently a big Staples fan, Prince subsequently signed Mavis to his newly formed Paisley Park label.
Musically Prince's fingerprints were all over Staples 1989 label debut "Time Waits For No One". In addition to producing most of the material he wrote, or co-wrote six of the eight tracks, provided backing vocals, and played a myriad of instruments including drums, guitar, keyboards. On tracks like 'Interesting'', 'Jaguar' and 'Train' his involvement actually overwhelmed Staples giving you the impression this was a Prince release. To be honest, to my ears Prince's taunt, funk moves simply didn't mesh well with Staples vocal strengths. Luckily Staples has always recognized her strengths and in this case she had the smarts to bring former Stax collaborators Homer Banks, Al Bell and Lester Snell along for the ride. Their old school moves provided most of the highlights including ''Come Home' (yeah Prince wrote and produced the song, but Banks, Bell and Snell co-produced it), and 'The Old Songs'. While the album attracted strong reviews from the critics it was essentially lost in the blizzard of late-1980s product being churned out by Prince. Too bad since it's an interesting, if not entirely successful experiment in styles. At least three 12" singles were pulled from the LP:
- 1989's '20th Century Express' b/w 'All the Discomforts of Home' (Paisley Park catalog number 0-21211) - 1989's 'Jaguar' b/w 'Jaguar' (Paisley Park catalog number 0-21287) - 1989 'Time Waits For No One' b/w 'Time Waits For No One' (Paisley Park catalog number PRO-A-3813)
"Time Waits For No One" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Interesting
(Prince) - 4:28
(side 2) 1.)
Train (Prince) - 4:26
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