New music: The Staple Singers, Larkin Poe, Dion

The brilliant artistry of The Staple Singers is featured on a series of essential reissues, while new releases from Southern duo Larkin Poe and New York City-spawned Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Dion are among the great titles of the first half of 2020.

Artist: The Staple Singers
Titles: Let's Do It Again: Soundtrack; Pass It On; Family Tree; Unlock Your Mind (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Mavis Staples, Betty LaVette, soul music
Tell me more: Omnivore Recordings' four new Staple Singers reissues are an important and outstanding way for music fans to discover the joyful sounds of the acclaimed ensemble. Having earned accolades as Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipients as well as inductees in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Gospel Hall of Fame, the Chicago-spawned family group's legacy is showcased powerfully via Let's Do It Again (1975), Pass It On (1976), Family Tree (1977) and Unlock Your Mind (1978). During the 1970s, the Staple Singers had 13 singles on the U.S. Pop chart and 20 on the U.S. R&B chart. Many of those singles are included here, as well as other outstanding cuts that captured the magic of Roebuck "Pops," Mavis, Cleotha and Yvonne Staples blending funk, gospel and R&B. "Let's Do It Again" was the soundtrack for the Sidney Poitier-directed film, with the music produced by Curtis Mayfield. The range of material includes the spirited title track featuring Mavis' signature vocals, grooving "Funky Love" and lovely "A Whole Lot of Love." 

Mayfield also produced Pass It On, a set highlighted by jazz-meets-funk vibe of "The Real Thing Inside of Me/Party," immersive "Love Me, Love Me, Love Me" and funky "Pass It On."  Family Tree found the quartet including other styles in their sound; the exhilarating "What You Doing Tonight," "Hang Loose" and "Let's Go to the Disco" found a way to convincingly mix their soulful voices with disco stylings; Mavis Staples is heard in one of her all-time great vocal performances on a poignant cover of "I Honestly Love You." Rounding out the handful of new reissues is Unlock Your Mind, a fantastic set of inspired tracks ranging from soul-funk romp "Chica Boom" and scorching "Don't Burn Me" to a magical dance-minded cover of the ELO hit "Showdown, a rockabilly-styled take on the 1953 classic "Mystery Train" and the dazzling gospel explosion "God Can."  Each of the reissues is bolstered by bonus tracks and has been lovingly remastered by Grammy winners Cheryl Pawelski and Michael Graves, with a wealth of historic photos and ephemera in colorful multi-page booklets. The four new Staples editions feature liner notes from Grammy Award winning writer (and Stax musicologist) Rob Bowman. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.

Artist: Larkin Poe
Title: Self Made Man (Tricki-Woo Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Larkin Poe, Samantha Fish, The Record Company
Tell me more: Larkin Poe – sisters Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell – reach new heights on their stellar new LP Self Made Man. The hard-hitting material on their fifth studio album is ideally suited for the Nashville-based duo's freewheeling approach with heavy Southern blues rockers "She's A Self Made Man" and "Holy Ghost Fire," the vocals-heavy "Keep Diggin'," inspired "Back Down South" and Delta blues dive "Danger Angel" fully celebrating the sisters' Southern roots with a decidedly contemporary sonic edge. Megan's soulful soprano shines across the disc, as evidenced by her amazing vocals on "God Moves On The Water," the soulful ballad "Every Bird That Flies" and lush "Tears Of Blue To Gold." Everywhere, Megan Lovell's artful and dazzling work lap steel guitar work and backing vocals lend welcome power and depth to the material. One of this summer's most exciting and welcome new releases. Information: LarkinPoe.com.

Artist: Dion
Title: Blues With Friends (KTBA Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Dion, Joe Bonamassa, Bruce Springsteen
Tell me more: Listening to the great songs that fill Dion's Blues With Friends it's no wonder that the album has been greeted by universal acclaim. A who's who of classic rock favorites and blues heroes join Dion, now 80, on this top-tier return. Among the many highlights on the collection are the super-charged opener "Blues Comin' On" (with guitar master Joe Bonamassa), the playful "Bam Bang Boom" (featuring ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons on lead guitar), the gospel-minded LP closer "Hymn To Him" (with guests Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa). On the Chicago blues gem "I Got Nothin'," Van Morrison and Joe Louis Walker add their firepower to the evocative tale; Jeff Beck's stately fret work enhances the gorgeous Memphis blues ballad "Can't Start Over Again." Stray Cat Brian Setzer adds his fiery guitar work on the rockabilly-flavored "Uptown Number 7." My favorite track is "Song For Sam Cooke (Here In America)," an autobiographical song detailing Dion's experiences touring with the late soul music legend in the early 1960s (Paul Simon lends his vocal harmonies). Elsewhere, Dion is joined by the likes of slide great Sonny Landreth, blues guitarist Samantha Fish and Steven Van Zandt. And just for the record, Dion sounds fantastic across the album. Information: DionDiMucci.com.



Robert Kinsler