New music: The Greenberry Woods, Sherri Harding

In this column I review the latest releases from the Greenberry Woods and singer Sherri Harding.

Artist: The Greenberry Woods
Title: It's All Good, Sugar... (Big Stir Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Jellyfish, Badfinger, Jason Falkner, Big Star, Psychic Rain

Tell me more: Not only have the Greenberry Woods returned after an extended hiatus of 30 years via the new 12-track disc It's All Good, Sugar..., but the Baltimore-based indie pop/alt-rock troupe sounds like they never took a day off. The album features a parade of great originals bolstered by top-tier lead vocals, melodic songcraft, tight arrangements, stellar vocal harmonies and emotional resonance. Indeed, founding members/twins Brandt Huseman and Matt Huseman along with Ira Katz, Paul Krysiak and Joel Parsons have released one of the great albums of 2026. The instantly-infectious opener "Summer Song," 80's-minded tuneful nugget "Waiting 'Round For Something To Go Wrong," reflective "Whenever You Want Me Too" (the latter a bona fide piece of ear candy perfection), and rocking "Lame Love Letter" are early standouts on the album. The LP's undeniable charm continues with the Baroque foray "On The Day We Drowned," poignant "That Won't Make You Love Me" (the latter a track that particularly hit home with yours truly), lovely "Leave The Light On" and irresistible album closer "December Boy." There is not a wasted moment on It's All Good, Sugar..., an incredible return. Information: bigstirrecords.com.

Artist: Sherri Harding
Title: Storyland (Instant Replay Music)
You might like if you enjoy: Ruthie Foster, Janiva Magness, Mavis Staples 

Tell me more: Fans of the countless great recordings to come out of the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama will be thrilled with songstress Sherri Harding's latest album Storyland. Armed with a rich and expressive soprano, Harding and a cast of terrific musicians shine across the LP. While the album was recorded in Ottawa, there are strong and definite ties between Harding and Muscle Shoals (indeed, the Muscle Shoals Horns recorded their parts in Alabama for the project). Harding's signature vocals enhance the songs and arrangements across Storyland. The soulful opener "All Around The World," Southern blues-styled foray "Down In The Shoals," emotive duet with Jeff Rogers titled "Throughout It All," and electric blues burner "Rainy Day" (the latter featuring some sharp guitar work from Kelvin Holly and Robert Farrell) are early standouts on the 11-track disc. The jazzy "Dark-Eyed Junco," soulful "Bad Weather," gorgeous piano ballad "Tell Me You're Mine," and the rousing title track propel the album on its last half. Information: sherriharding.com.

Robert Kinsler 

Lucinda Williams offers raw & fearless commentary on political chaos with forthcoming album 'World's Gone Wrong' - out January 23, 2026

Photo credit: Daryl Weisser

Catch up on breaking news as it relates to Lucinda Williams' forthcoming album "World's Gone Wrong," set for release on Jan. 23, 2026. The acclaimed singer-songwriter is joined by several high-profile guests on the LP including Mavis Staples and Norah Jones. You can also listen to the first advance track from the album via the link below. Read my review of Williams' memorable performance at the Pure Imagination Festival in 2023 HERE...Robert Kinsler

MULTI-GRAMMY AWARD WINNER LUCINDA WILLIAMS RETURNS ON JANUARY 23RD WITH WORLD’S GONE WRONG A RAW AND FEARLESS COMMENTARY ON MODERN AMERICA NEW ALBUM FEATURES SPECIAL GUESTS MAVIS STAPLES, NORAH JONES AND BRITTNEY SPENCER WATCH LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO OF POWERFUL NEW SINGLE “WORLDS GONE WRONG” HERE

“…much like the roots of rock music itself, the core sources of her sound — country, blues, folk — converge into the heart of it all, as if to say: she's not just a vein of rock and roll; she's in its blood.” – NPR Music Nashville, TN – Three-time Grammy Award winner Lucinda Williams confronts America’s socio-political chaos head-on with her forthcoming album World’s Gone Wrong (out January 23rd via Highway 20 Records). World’s Gone Wrong is a raw and unapologetic set of songs that were written and recorded with a sense of urgency during the spring of 2025. The album opens with the powerful title track, featuring Brittney Spencer, which speaks to the plight of the working class during these turbulent times, and the resiliency to move forward with the underlying plea of “come on baby we gotta stay strong” in the chorus. Watch the live performance video of “World’s Gone Wrong” HERE. Throughout nine original tracks, Williams offers songs that do not just chronicle our times but challenge us to rise above them. A timely cover of Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble In The World” features a captivating duet with the incomparable Mavis Staples. The bluesy “How Much Did You Get For Your Soul” revisits the spiritual reckoning of Williams’ celebrated 2020 release Good Souls Better Angel. “Freedom Speaks” is a soul-stirring anthem that personifies liberty as a voice rising against oppression and apathy warning us of the dangers of complacency in the face of injustice. The album closes with the deeply moving “We’ve Come Too Far to Turn Around,” featuring Norah Jones on piano and harmony vocals. The hymn-like track is rooted in struggle and redemption while acknowledging the challenge to maintain the fortitude and spiritual conviction needed when turning back is not an option. Jones’ and Williams’ emotive vocals blend seamlessly, offering a breathtaking finale to an essential work for these times. World’s Gone Wrong serves as a wake-up call and a battle cry, finding beauty, grit, and grace in a world on edge. The album reaffirms Williams’ place as one of the most vital and uncompromising voices in American music.  World’s Gone Wrong was co-produced by Tom Overby and longtime Williams’ collaborator Ray Kennedy, who recorded and mixed the album at his Room & Board Studio in Nashville, TN. Listen to the song “World’s Gone Wrong” at your preferred DSPs HERE Pre-order / Pre-save the album World’s Gone Wrong HERE For news and updates, visit LucindaWilliams.com

Mavis Staples 'Have a Little Faith' Deluxe Reissue Set For Record Store Day, April 20

 

MAVIS STAPLES' HAVE A LITTLE FAITH TO RECEIVE DELUXE 20TH ANNIVERSARY RECORD STORE DAY REISSUE "Have A Little Faith was the beginning of my solo career. That’s why I’m here today...Every song on Have A Little Faith comes straight from my heart." –Mavis Staples Originally Released In 2004 On CD Only -- Have A Little Faith  Ignited Mavis' Solo Career    Now Available For The First Time As A Remastered 2-LP Set Pressed On Silver Vinyl In Deluxe Gatefold Jacket With Expanded Artwork Featuring A Newly Written Remembrance By Mavis Staples

"One of the finest albums of Mavis' career...blues-tinged gospel about making the most of troubled times, a message Staples has been delivering her entire life." –The Chicago Tribune "A glorious album...filled with the kind of gutsy, emotional performances that have defined Mavis Staples' stellar career." –Billboard

On April 20, 2024, Record Store Day, Alligator Records will release the deluxe 20th Anniversary 2-LP vinyl reissue of soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples' landmark 2004 release, Have A Little Faith. The album, when first released, sparked Mavis' solo career and launched her into the musical mainstream. Have A Little Faith is an exhilarating collection of timeless, uplifting songs deeply seated in Mavis’ faith and spirituality. It has now been remastered and will come in a deluxe gatefold jacket with expanded artwork. The set also features a spirited remembrance of how the record came to be by Mavis herself. The two 12-inch records, pressed on silver vinyl, will spin at 45 rpm, and will deliver the best possible sound. Mavis Staples enjoying herself (and thrilling crowd) at Doheny Blues Festival in May 2011. Photo credit: Robert Kinsler Mavis possesses one of the most recognizable and treasured voices in contemporary music. From her early days sharing lead vocals with her groundbreaking family gospel group, The Staple Singers, to her storied solo recordings, Mavis Staples is an inspirational force in modern popular culture and music. So it was surprising, upon the passing of Mavis' father -- family patriarch and Staple Singers leader Pops Staples -- in 2000, that Mavis' future was uncertain. She self-financed and recorded her own solo album, and after being turned down by major labels unable to see the commercial appeal of this legend’s fresh, genre-busting approach to spiritual music, it was embraced by Alligator Records. The label's unbridled enthusiasm in working the album to press, radio and the public helped Mavis fulfill her dream and ignite her solo career. Upon release, Have A Little Faith brought Mavis' powerful music and message songs into the 21st century. From the positive and uplifting title track to the spiritual fervor of God Is Not Sleeping to the reinterpretations of Staple Singers classics Will The Circle Be Unbroken and A Dying Man's Plea (with Mavis singing lead on these two songs for the first time), the album re-introduced the world to Mavis Staples. "I was a Staple Singer," Mavis remembers in the album's new liner notes. "I wasn’t no Mavis Staples, the solo artist. But, all of a sudden, I was so busy with interviews and television shows and radio stations and concerts. That was a shock to me, because I started asking myself, 'Now how long can this last?' Because they were playing that record everywhere, and the record sounded pretty good!" Ever since the release of Have A Little Faith, Mavis has been embraced by new generations of fans through her collaborations with the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Run The Jewels, Neko Case, Ry Cooder, Justin Vernon and many others. On April 18 in Los Angeles, an all-star 85th Birthday Party concert celebration will take place at the YouTube Theatre, featuring some of today's biggest musical stars, including Chris Stapleton, Hozier, Jackson Browne, Norah Jones, Jeff Tweedy, Black Pumas, Grace Potter, Michael McDonald, Keb’ Mo’, Nathaniel Rateliff, Robert Randolph, Taj Mahal and others. This is a testament to the far-reaching, ongoing influence of Mavis Staples, and the lasting impact and beauty of Have A Little Faith.

Sights and Sounds: Kim Gordon, Chris Hillman, The GRAMMY Museum®

Check out my roundup of breaking music news...Robert Kinsler

Kim Gordon releases new video for “Hungry Baby” starring Coco Gordon-Moore, directed by Clara Balzary From Solo Debut Album No Home Record, Out Now on Matador

Today legendary musician and multi-disciplinary artist Kim Gordon releases the new video for “Hungry Baby,” directed by Clara Balzary and starring Coco Gordon-Moore, produced by Ways & Means. “Hungry Baby” is on Kim’s solo debut album, No Home Record, which was released last Fall on Matador Records to critical acclaim. Clara Balzary says of the video, “I came up with the idea for the video after listening to “Hungry Baby” on a 2020 angst fueled walk around my suburban neighborhood. Coco is an amazing performer, and loved her as this character with such a raging internal world set against that quiet + empty backdrop of the parking lot. I’m so grateful to Kim for being so supportive and open to the idea. She is such a role model as someone for whom an art practice always comes before worries about ego or branding. The talented Sadie Wilking worked with Coco on choreography, and we couldn’t have done any of it without the legendary cinematographer and friend, Christopher Blauvelt, who is always so generous with his craft.”

No Home Record was produced largely by Justin Raisen (Charli XCX, Ariel Pink, Sky Ferreira) at Sphere Ranch in Los Angeles, along with contributions from Shawn Everett (Jim James, The Voidz, The War on Drugs) and composer/filmmaker Jake Meginsky (L’appel Du Vide). Gordon’s solo debut album’s title is a nod to the French-Belgian director Chantal Akerman’s film No Home Movie. “Why a solo record? And why now?,” Gordon mused of the upcoming solo debut. “I don’t know, but it wouldn’t have happened without the persistence of Justin Raisen. Living in LA the last few years it feels like home, but the transience of the place makes it feel sometimes like no home.” Since co-founding the seminal Sonic Youth in the early 80’s, Kim Gordon has remained at the nexus of music, fashion, art and (more recently) books and film. In the past few years alone, Gordon has debuted in the #1 spot on the NY Times Bestseller List with her 2015 memoir Girl In A Band, acted alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Jonah Hill under the direction of Gus Van Sant (in 2018’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot”), released music and performed as one half of Body/Head alongside Bill Nace, and opened multiple solo-exhibitions at internationally renowned museums.  Listen to No Home Record HERE. Praise for No Home Record: "The art star queen of New York cool...The music is a swirling aural collage with splashes of vintage Sonic Youth noise rock, offset by jagged, impressionistic lyrics..."  - The New York Times "Kim Gordon is like the Joan Didion of indie rock, an avatar of laconic California cool, a figure both utterly familiar and inscrutable...as ferocious as she’s ever been." - Vogue "Kim Gordon’s thrilling solo debut lives at the vanguard of sound and performance, shot through with the beautiful, unsparing noise that has always defined her art." - Pitchfork, Best New Music "...a set of hard-hitting songs that can also feel dreamlike. The searing, searching album evokes music from Eighties New York rap to experimental electronics to Sonic Youth’s tidal noise rock..." - Rolling Stone "...A heavily electronic soundscape that mostly leaves behind the squalling guitars of her longtime band Sonic Youth and finds new ways to sound experimental" - Vanity Fair "One of the finest and most captivatingly intense rock records of 2019" - The FADER "Through every heady drone, spacious dub, riotous punk rager and lysergic trap beat, Gordon's scorched rasp scrapes the shocked psyche clean." - NPR "Her new album is an explosion of her freedom to be the artist that she’s always been, mixing poetry, music and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny lyrics." - Jen Kirkman, Playboy.com "Gordon delivers a collection of biting observations on consumerism and pop culture, braiding threads of noise rock, hip-hop, and electronic music into her own unique fabric - New York Magazine’s Vulture, "The Best Albums of 2019” “this longtime queen of the NYC underground stretches out again through layers of noise and melody, guitars and electronics, taking cues equally from the Stooges and underground hip-hop, with lyrics that are jagged and impressionistic...Gordon is dependably uncompromising, reflecting on tensions past and still to come." - LA Times “A disorienting meditation on image and fantasy, LA’s bread and butter." - Cultured Magazine "A defiant solo debut perfectly attuned to the ambient anger of the moment" - Consequence of Sound "It’s jagged, chaotic and mesmerizing in a way that pulls you inevitably into the thick of it, as if the songs were exerting their own inescapable gravity." - Paste Magazine, “Best Punk Albums of 2019” "No Home Record: a primal collection of songs that seem to come from the deepest and freest parts of her soul. There is no start or end; just freedom." - LADYGUNN "A personal evolution, bringing all aspects of Gordon’s multidisciplinary creativity together under one roof. Her preferred minimalist aesthetic...is adeptly channeled into the sparsely layered songwriting on No Home Record." - Premier Guitar KIM GORDON Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Store

Chris Hillman's compelling autobiography 'Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother and Beyond' goes into second printing; will appear at Far West Folk Alliance

Appearing in virtual interview at Far West Folk Alliance on March 3, 2021 and in Signature Sounds interview on March 7, 2021

Chris Hillman is arguably the primary architect of what’s come to be known as country rock. After playing the Southern California folk and bluegrass circuit, he joined Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke as an original member of The Byrds. He went on to partner with Gram Parsons to launch The Flying Burrito Brothers, recording a handful of albums that have become touchstones of the Americana genre.

 

Hillman then embarked on a prolific recording career as a member of Stephen Stills’ Manassas, as a solo artist, and as a member of several groups that he insists sound more like law firms than bands: Souther-Hillman-Furay with acclaimed songwriter J.D. Souther and former Buffalo Springfield and Poco member Richie Furay; McGuinn, Clark & Hillman with two of his fellow former Byrds; and Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen with legendary bluegrass musicians Tony Rice, Larry Rice, and longtime collaborator and duo partner Herb Pedersen. As a songwriter, he appeared on the Billboard singles charts in four consecutive decades, and his songs have been recorded by a diverse range of artists, from Steve Earle to Patti Smith to Roy Rogers. In the 1980s, Hillman launched a successful mainstream country group when he formed The Desert Rose Band with Pedersen and John Jorgenson, scoring eight Billboard Top 10 country hits. In the midst of his country success he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the other original members of the Byrds. He has since released a number of solo efforts, including 2017’s highly-acclaimed Bidin’ My Time, which was the final album produced by Tom Petty with executive producer Pedersen.

Hillman’s memoir, Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother and Beyond, first published November 17, 2020 by BMG Books, has gone into its second printing and will be available at retail on February 23, 2021.

 

Hillman remains active on the interview circuit. On March 3 he will be featured at Far West Folk Alliance’s virtual conference, “Best of the West & Beyond,” interviewed by journalist Randy Lewis. He will appear on the Signature Sounds Interview series on March 7.

 

Four tours have been postponed due to the pandemic: The East Coast shows will move to spring of 2022. Midwest dates will move to September, Florida shows to October and Texas shows to November of this year.

 

In the memoir, Hillman takes readers behind the curtain of his quintessentially Southern Californian experience. Raised in San Diego County’s then-rural Rancho Santa Fe, Chris grew up in an idyllic 1950s environment that was filled with TV cowboys, horseback riding, exploring the outdoors, surfing, discovering girls, and falling in love with music. When his older sister came home from college with a stack of records by folk artists such as Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly, Chris was hooked. He soon fell in love with the bluegrass music of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and The Stanley Brothers, spending hours mastering the guitar and mandolin. Once the Beatles invaded America, the various aspects of Hillman’s musical DNA came together that would eventually lead to him become a pioneering founding father of country-rock. 

 

According to Hillman, "I never anticipated such an incredible response to my book, Time Between, and to already be in the second printing is just phenomenal. I'm grateful to the many people who have embraced it."

 

“BMG has been so pleased with the reaction to Chris’s book,” adds Scott B. Bomar, Publisher and Senior Director of the company’s growing Books department. “We knew it was great, which is why we signed it, but even we were surprised by how swiftly we needed another printing. Nearly the entire first print run was accounted for by the time it hit the market, and we had to scramble to get another print run initiated during the busy holiday season. That’s a good problem to have. The critics and, more importantly, the fans have really resonated with Chris’s direct and honest style. We’re thrilled to be a part of helping him tell his story.”   

 

The book won press accolades upon publication. “It’s fascinating to read about his view from slightly out of the spotlight as countless memorable characters drift in and out of his life,” noted Variety. Forbes echoed: “To say that musician Chris Hillman had an interesting musical career would be a definite understatement. In the 1960s, Hillman was a member of two pioneering bands ... So it only makes sense that Hillman, who continues to record as a solo artist, pen a memoir about his time with those bands.”

 

Singer-songwriter Wesley Stace, reviewing in The Wall Street Journal, wrote: “Mr. Hillman, a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with four Grammy nominations to his name, has a solid claim as anyone — though he modestly does not make it — to have invented the entire genre of country rock ... The cutthroat mentality of a band on the make is tactfully told. Mr. Hillman, a longtime Christian who understands that it's all about motes and beams, is as discreet about other people's bad choices as he is about his own, and Time Between gives him a chance to reflect, make amends and give thanks.”

No Depression summed it up: “Chris, who is still an active musician, has written a concise memoir that’s narrated in an easy-going conversational manner ... it’s hard to put down.” 

“Chris Hillman has been a well-kept secret in the history of rock. Yeah, we all know how great he was in the Byrds, but his contributions go well beyond that. Chris was a true innovator — the man who invented country rock. Every time the Eagles board their private jet Chris at least paid for the fuel.” —Tom Petty

“Chris Hillman is a bona fide pioneering godfather to generations of musical souls who’ve sought inspiration at that divine crossroads where rock & roll, country, bluegrass, folk, honky tonk, and gospel music intersect and harmonize. He’s a national treasure, truly a statesman.”  

—Marty Stuart

For more information about Chris Hillman, visit:
www.chrishillman.com
www.rounder.com (label)
www.skylineonline.com (for booking)

GRAMMY Museum announces 'Live From The Vault' digital series in partnership with Iron Mountain

FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDE MAVIS STAPLES AND RINGO STARR   SERIES DEBUTS TODAY ON GRAMMY MUSEUM'S OFFICIAL STREAMING SERVICE, COLLECTION:LIVE

LOS ANGELES (February 4, 2021) — The GRAMMY Museum® announced today a new Live From The Vault series in partnership with Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES), a division of Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), the storage and information management services company. Since 2008, the GRAMMY Museum has curated more than 80 exhibits, hosted more than 1,000 programs and captured more than 2,000 hours of archived video footage. As the Official Preservation Partner of the GRAMMY Museum, IMES has stored the Museum's most prized physical artifacts in a climate-controlled vault and will now store, manage and distribute its video archives using Iron Mountain's secure digital content repository technology platform.   The GRAMMY Museum and IMES will curate specific archived videos as part of a new series, Live From The Vault, which takes fans inside the vaults of some of the Museum's most iconic programs, showcasing rarely seen footage. Mavis Staples will be the first artist featured from her 2010 program in the Museum's Clive Davis Theater, released starting today on the Museum's official streaming service COLLECTION:live with free access to all viewers. To further increase access, the Museum will utilize Iron Mountain's Content Localization Services (CLaaS) system to transcribe the Museum's archives into other target languages, including subtitles.   "As we’ve seen in the past year, it’s vital for museums to increase their digital presence and the GRAMMY Museum has been doing just that," said the Museum's President Michael Sticka. "We're thrilled to partner with IMES for our new Live From The Vault series to preserve these important recordings and moments in music history from our archives."   This series will also include a previously recorded program with Ringo Starr, which will be released on March 4 on COLLECTION:live. Additional artists and special programming will be announced soon.   “Our mission is to help our customers protect and activate their archives,” said Lance Podell, Senior Vice President and General Manager, IMES at Iron Mountain. “Our long relationship with the GRAMMY Museum is rooted in this shared dedication to preserve musical history. We’re proud to be the Museum’s Official Preservation Partner to help safeguard their diverse treasure trove and propel it into the streaming age, featuring dynamic artist interviews and performances. We’re excited about sponsoring the Live from the Vault series and its debut episode with musical pioneer Mavis Staples - what a privilege it is to hear in her own words how her upbringing and social justice convictions inspired her music.”

ABOUT THE GRAMMY MUSEUM The GRAMMY Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music through exhibits, education, grants, preservation initiatives, and public programming. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum explores and celebrates all aspects of the art form — from the technology of the recording process to the legends who've made lasting marks on our cultural identity.   For more information, visit www.grammymuseum.org, "like" the GRAMMY Museum on Facebook, and follow @GRAMMYMuseum on Twitter and Instagram.   ABOUT COLLECTION:LIVE COLLECTION:live is the GRAMMY Museum's official online streaming service, featuring an artfully curated collection of newly produced artist interviews, performances and livestreams, as well as special releases from the GRAMMY Museum archive. The Museum's popular Public Programs series has been recorded over the last decade from the Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles and has since surpassed the 1,000 program mark. Proceeds benefit the Museum's music education initiatives.   About Iron Mountain Entertainment Services  Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES), the media and entertainment division of Iron Mountain Incorporated®, is the go-to physical and digital media archiving service for the media and entertainment industries. IMES partners with clients ranging from the broadcast, film, music and sports sectors to brand archives and individual artists' collections and estates, to protect and activate media archives to preserve our collective cultural heritage. A global leader in media preservation, restoration and archive management, IMES offers industry-leading archive, storage, chain-of-custody processes and physical and digital content preservation solutions to ensure the complete protection of some of the world’s most treasured and iconic assets. Visit https://www.imes.media/ for more information.   About Iron Mountain Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), founded in 1951, is the global leader for storage and information management services. Trusted by more than 225,000 organizations around the world, and with a real estate network of more than 90 million square feet across approximately 1,450 facilities in approximately 50 countries, Iron Mountain stores and protects billions of valued assets, including critical business information, highly sensitive data, and cultural and historical artifacts. Providing solutions that include secure records storage, information management, digital transformation, secure shredding, as well as Intelligent Content Service Platform, data centers, cloud services and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps customers lower cost and risk, comply with regulations, recover from disaster, and enable a more digital way of working. Visit www.ironmountain.com for more information.

The Staple Singers’ ‘Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection’ available as 7-CD box set

This promises to be one of the best special sets of 2020! Earlier this year a quartet of The Staple Singers' post-Stax titles were reissued and you can read my review of those winning releases HERE. - Robert Kinsler

The Staple Singers' Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection

to be available in a deluxe seven-CD box set

 

Acclaimed collection celebrates The Staple Singers' Stax Years, including all of their studio albums on the iconic label, plus live recordings and rarities

 

OUT NOVEMBER 13^th ON CRAFT RECORDINGS

Click here to pre-order the 7-CD set

Click here for the digital collection

Special exclusive bundles, including a Stax t-shirt, available via the Stax Store

Los Angeles, CA (September 23, 2020)—Craft Recordings is thrilled to announce a deluxe CD edition of Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection. The acclaimed box set, which was previously released on vinyl digital formats, celebrates one of music’s greatest gospel and soul groups, The Staple Singers. Available for pre-order today, and set for a November 13th release, Come Go With Me presents all of the group’s studio albums released on the iconic Memphis label, spanning 1968–1974, and features the Staples’ biggest hits, including “I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself” and “If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me).” Each album was remastered from the original analog masters by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl, while the seventh disc offers rarities, non-album singles and live recordings from the legendary 1972 Wattstax music festival. Housed in a slipcase, the seven-disc collection also includes a booklet with archival photos and liner notes from American music specialist and curator Levon Williams (formerly of the Stax Museum and the National Museum of African American Music), and folklorist, ethnomusicologist and writer Dr. Langston Wilkins.

Released on vinyl and digital platforms earlier this year (in February), Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection received strong praise from such outlets as Uncut, Mojo and Paste, the latter of which wrote, “this marvelous run of records sound brand new in these new all-analog pressings, with the earthy tang of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and the Bar-Kays horn section ripping out of the speakers with hip-shaking fervor... This is a milestone of American musical history, treated with the appropriate levels of respect and reverence.” All six of the Staple Singers’ albums with Stax were also made available in hi-res 24-bit/192 kHz and 24-bit/96 kHz formats for the first time.

By the time that the Staple Singers signed to Stax in 1968, the family quartet—helmed by patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples, with daughters Cleotha and Mavis, and son Pervis (later replaced by his sister Yvonne)—had long graduated from the gospel circuit. The Chicago group had become well known in the counterculture and folk scenes and were performing alongside major rock acts like Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Grateful Dead. The Staples had also become formidable voices in the Civil Rights movement, and many of their songs preached a message of empowerment and racial equality.

In the fall of ’68, the group went into the studio to record their first album for Stax, Soul Folk in Action, working with producer Steve Cropper and songwriter Homer Banks. The sessions were set against a backdrop of social and political turmoil, which climaxed with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis. The Staple Singers were known for writing politically charged “message songs,” and the year’s events certainly inspired many of the tracks on this album, including “Long Walk to D.C.” and “The Ghetto.” In their liner notes, Levon Williams and Langston Wilkins write that both of these songs “Truly tapped into the experiences and emotions of Black America at the close of the ’60s. The former is a tribute to the 1963 March on Washington told from the perspective of a poor yet hopeful African American person willing to use their last dimes to make it to the rally … Conversely, the somber and haunting ‘The Ghetto’ takes listeners deep into the isolation and despair of inner-city life.” Also notable to this album are stunning covers of The Band’s “The Weight” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” recorded in tribute to the fallen Stax star, who died tragically just a year earlier in a plane crash. The Staple Singers returned to the studio with Cropper the following year to record We’ll Get Over (1970). Highlights include the standout message song “When Will We Be Paid,” as well as covers of tracks like Sly & the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” and Gladys Knight & the Pips’ “The End of the Road.”

Though both Soul Folk in Action and We’ll Get Over carried powerful messages and tight-knit harmonies, neither had commercial success. And so, for the band’s third album, Stax co-president Al Bell (who signed the band) took the helm as producer. Williams and Wilkins note that “As a long-time DJ, Bell’s ear for what moves Black listeners, both literally and metaphorically, had been keenly crafted over several years. Bell hosted shows that had both sacred and secular followings and had amassed a wealth of experience from watching, noting and deeply understanding the impact music has on varied audiences. His ear was essentially priceless.”

With support from the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (also known as “The Swampers”), the Staple Singers found a winning team with Bell, and the resulting album, 1971’s The Staple Swingers, would be their first charting record, peaking at No. 9 on Billboard’s top R&B albums. The LP offered a funkier sound from the group, with high-energy singles like “Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)” and the Smokey Robinson cover “You’ve Got to Earn It.”

The group reunited with the Swampers and Bell for 1972’s Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, an album that transformed the Staple Singers into mainstream stars. Peaking at No. 19 on the Billboard 200, the groove-filled album featured the Staples’ first No. 1 hit—the infectious “I’ll Take You There,” and “Respect Yourself,” a song which Williams and Wilkins declare “encapsulates the Staple Singers’ entire career.” The powerful message song not only resonated with African Americans but also with many women across the country as they, too, fought for equal opportunity.

The group’s 1973 follow-up, Be What You Are, featured the Top Ten hit “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me),” popular single "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend” and the sweetly harmonized “Love Comes in All Colors,” while the Staple Singers’ final album with Stax—1974’s City in the Sky—includes such highlights as the politically charged “Washington We’re Watching You,” “Back Road into Town” and “Who Made the Man,” which marked a return to the group’s gospel roots.

The final disc in Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection offers a selection of live tracks from the Staple Singers’ energetic performance at Wattstax, as well as B-sides like “Stay With Us,” non-album singles like “Oh La De Da” and rarities that include “Walking in Water Over Our Head” and “Trippin’ on Your Love.”

Following their time at Stax, the Staple Singers continued to tour and record throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and received a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. In recent years, Mavis Staples has been back in the spotlight—headlining tours and reaching a new generation of fans with her solo records. In 2016, she was the subject of a documentary (Mavis!) and ended the year as a Kennedy Center Honoree.

Click here to pre-order the 7-CD set Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection

Special exclusive bundles, including a Stax t-shirt, available via the Stax Store

Track Listing - Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection (CD edition):

 

Soul Folk in Action

1.     We’ve Got to Get Ourselves Together

2.     (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay

3.     Top of the Mountain

4.     Slow Train

5.     The Weight

6.     Long Walk to D.C.

7.     Got to Be Some Changes Made

8.     The Ghetto

9.     People, My People

10.  I See It

11.  This Year

We’ll Get Over

1.     We’ll Get Over

2.     Give a Damn

3.     Everyday People

4.     The End of Our Road

5.     Tend to Your Own Business

6.     Solon Bushi (Japanese Folk Song)

7.     The Challenge

8.     God Bless the Children

9.     Games People Play

10.  A Wednesday in Your Garden

11.  The Gardener

12.  When Will We Be Paid

The Staple Swingers

1.     This Is a Perfect World

2.     What’s Your Thing

3.     You’ve Got to Earn It

4.     You’re Gonna Make Me Cry

5.     Little Boy

6.     How Do You Move a Mountain

7.     Almost

8.     I’m a Lover

9.     Love Is Plentiful

10.  Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)

11.  I Like the Things About You

12.  Give a Hand – Take a Hand

Be Altitude: Respect Yourself

1.     This World

2.     Respect Yourself

3.     Name the Missing Word

4.     I’ll Take You There

5.     This Old Town (People in This Town)

6.     We the People

7.     Are You Sure

8.     Who Do You Think You Are? (Jesus Christ the Super Star)

9.     I’m Just Another Soldier

10.  Who

Be What You Are

1.     Be What You Are

2.     If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me)

3.     Medley: Love Comes in All Colors / Tellin’ Lies

4.     Touch a Hand, Make a Friend

5.     Drown Yourself

6.     I Ain’t Raisin’ No Sand

7.     Grandma’s Hands

8.     Bridges Instead of Walls

9.     I’m on Your Side

10.  That’s What Friends Are For

11.  Heaven

City in the Sky

1.     Back Road Into Town

2.     City in the Sky

3.     Washington We’re Watching You

4.     Something Ain’t Right

5.     Today Was Tomorrow Yesterday

6.     My Main Man

7.     There Is a God

8.     Blood Pressure

9.     If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Another

10.  Who Made the Man

11.  Getting Too Big for Your Britches

Bonus Disc: Singles, Live & More

1.     Stay With Us

2.     Brand New Day (Theme from The Landlord)

3.     Walking in Water Over Your Head

4.     Oh La De Da

5.     I Got to Be Myself

6.     Trippin’ on Your Love

7.     Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom) (Live at Wattstax)

8.     Are You Sure (Live at Wattstax)

9.     I Like the Things About You (Live at Wattstax)

10.  Respect Yourself (Live at Wattstax)

11.  I’ll Take You There (Live at Wattstax)

About Stax Records:

One of the most popular soul labels of all time, Stax has become synonymous with its gritty, Southern sounds. Originally known as Satellite Records, the Memphis imprint was founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart. Over the course of two decades, Stax released more than 800 singles and nearly 300 LPs, picking up eight GRAMMYS® and an Academy Award along the way. In all, Stax placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 pop charts, and a staggering 243 hits in the Top 100 R&B charts. For more info, visit StaxRecords.com and follow @StaxRecords on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Craft Recordings:

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most prestigious collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its rich and storied repertoire includes legendary artists such as Joan Baez, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Vince Guaraldi, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, Nine Inch Nails, Thelonious Monk, Otis Redding, R.E.M. and Traveling Wilburys, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Concord, Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Milestone, Musart, Nitro, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Sugar Hill, Vanguard, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord Recorded Music. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify.