We'll Never Turn Back

(2007)  A stunning achievement from one of America's most revered soul/gospel singers, Mavis Staples. Produced by Ry Cooder, this album is built around freedom songs of the civil rights movement. Some are traditional, some appropriated for the theme, and others are originals. As much a celebration of hard-won freedom as a reminder of past and current injustices, this album is first and foremost a platform for Mavis's stirring voice, one that is as much a liberating force as any protest. Cooder, to his credit, keeps things appropriately raw and immediate, and the band always positions Staples at the front of the line. As deeply moving as any album made in 2007, We'll Never Turn Back is at once a call to arms, a new cadence for a new march, and the celebratory soundtrack for the jubilee on the other side of the mountain.

“With this record, I hope to get across the same feeling, the same spirit and the same message as we did with the Staple Singers and to hopefully continue to make positive changes. We've got to keep pushing to make the world a better place. Things are better but we're not where we need to be and we'll never turn back. 99 and 1/2 just won't do!” –Mavis Staples

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