As the front woman of the family gospel group The Staple Singers, Mavis Staples was one of the most influential soul singers of all time. The Staple Singers were a crossover group in many ways. They knew, especially in their time with record label Stax, to break the boundaries between gospel, soul and funk. They also stood side by side with Reverend Martin Luther King in the fight for better civil
… rights. Because of their Christian motivation, The Staple Singers sang protest songs at countless events. On the album We'll Never Turn Back, produced by Ry Cooder, Staples reinterprets some classic compositions from that turbulent time and performs some new ones. She sounds combative and inspired, determined to bring about positive changes again with her music. Thanks in part to Cooder's uncompromising production, and with the support of the extremely sympathetic label Anti, Staples has made We'll Never Turn Back the most personal album of her career. (MS)more
