One True Vine
Mavis Staples' second album produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy traces the believer's journey from doubt-- conveyed by a reverent cover of Low's "Holy Ghost"-- to certainty, its sentiments more reflective than 2010's rousing You Are Not Alone. Compositions by Funkadelic, Nick Lowe, the Staples Sisters, and Tweedy himself also appear.
Mavis Staples is a gospel-soul legend, but she’s also shrewd to ally herself with someone as current—and with as sharp an ear—as Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. Tweedy has produced her last two albums, this year’s One True Vine and 2010’s You Are Not Alone, selecting songs for her to cover and penning a few tunes for her himself.
On her latest collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, the legendary gospel singer tackles songs by Low, Washington Philips and Funkadelic with mixed results.
“Some holy ghost keeps me hanging on,” Mavis Staples intones over and over a loosely strummed acoustic guitar, world-weary…
Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy proved to be such a good match on You Are Not Alone -- the album won a Grammy in the category of Best Americana Album -- that the two opted to do it again.
Mavis Staples has made some of the best music of her career on her last few albums, which is saying a great deal considering the importance of her catalogue in the history of gospel and soul.
Proclaiming the merits of a gospel album from a singer whose public popularity peaked some 40 years ago and whose album is produced by a '90s alt-country singer (who, along with his son, also plays all the instruments), might normally be a tough task.
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy helps out the gospel veteran again, with uplifting results, writes <strong>Hermione Hoby</strong>
Funk and blues veteran Mavis Staples teams up with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy again for a mixed but often impressive new album, writes <strong>Caroline Sullivan</strong>
Mavis Staples musters a new kind of gentle power on her new album and remains a towering talent, says Neil McCormick.