“Mavis Staples: Don’t Change Me Now” was released back in 1988, but thankfully it is still available for sale online. The CD has all but three of the songs on Mavis Staples’s two solo albums for Volt, a Stax Records subsidiary. It also contains five superb tracks that didn’t make it onto the original vinyl albums. The entire set demonstrates the artistic brilliance of Mavis Staples, an unparalleled interpreter of deep soul music.
Mavis Staples was blessed with a magnificent contralto voice that spanned an impressive vocal range. When she began singing gospel music as a youngster audiences were flabbergasted by the depth and maturity of her sound. But what makes Mavis’s singing so special is its sincerity and emotional sensitivity. Her performances are deeply moving because they come straight from the heart.
Mavis Staples was born in 1939 in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Roebuck “Pops” Staples, would come home from his job at a meat packing plant, take out his guitar and gather Mavis and her three older siblings together to sing. With her exceptional voice Mavis soon became the family group’s lead singer.
In 1953 the Staple Singers signed with Vee-Jay records, and within three years had a gospel hit, “Uncloudy Day”. They began to tour and developed a strong following. In 1963 the group did a concert in Montgomery, Alabama where they met Martin Luther King Junior. That meeting had a powerful effect on the family, and for the next several years they wrote and sang songs to support the black civil rights movement including the famous “It’s A Long Walk To D.C.”.
In 1968 the Staple Singers signed with Stax Records. They had many top ten R&B hits on Stax’s Volt label including “I’ll Take You There” which made it all the way to number one on both the R&B and pop charts. However, before this huge success for the Staple Singers as a group, Mavis recorded her two solo albums. Unfortunately, and undeservedly, neither generated a lot of sales.
The first album, entitled simply “Mavis Staples”, was comprised of covers. It was produced by Steve Cropper at Stax’s Memphis studio, and released in 1969. Eight of the eleven tracks are included on the CD. However, the first song on the CD didn’t make it onto the original album which is a real puzzle because it’s pure dynamite. “Ready For The Heartbreak” is a fine vehicle for Mavis’s formidable vocal talents.
Mavis deftly cruises through “Sweet Things You Do” before delivering her emphatic declamations in “You’re driving Me (To The Arms Of A Stranger)”. Mavis then struts ably along with the tight pulse of “Chokin’ Kind”. Next Mavis shows us just what she can do with a ballad. She really puts her heart into “A House Is Not A Home” and the result is sensational.
Mavis’s version of Otis Redding’s stomper, “Security”, is a worthy successor. Her take on Carla Thomas’s “Pick Up The Pieces” takes the song to a new level of emotional power. And then comes Otis’s “Good To Me”. In my opinion this is the star of the first album. Mavis reaches down deep for this impassioned declaration of love. The final track from the album, “You Send Me”, is Mavis’s fine and feeling tribute to the great Sam Cooke.
Next on the CD are the four remaining previously unreleased tracks. Three of the songs do not have any writer credits as was the case with the CD’s opener, “Ready For The Heartbreak”. Mavis has stated that two of them, “I’m Tired” and “You’re All I Need”, were her own compositions. According to her, Stax wanted 50% of the publishing rights. She refused and the tracks were kept off her second solo album, “Only For The Lonely”. What a shame! Fortunately we’re now able to enjoy these fine recordings.
“You’re All I Need” is an infectious mid-tempo romp, but “I’m Tired” is in another world entirely. To me,this deep soul ballad is among Mavis’s most sublime recordings. Mavis expresses the pain and emotional exhaustion of endless betrayal with a mesmerizing depth of feeling.
If that weren’t enough, Mavis’s original version of Phillip Mitchell’s “The Only Time You Say You Love Me” is another immortal southern soul classic. Strangely, the song is listed on the CD as “Why Can’t It Be Like It Used To Be” with no writer credit. The only reason I can think of for this glaring error is that this previously unissued recording had been mislabeled by Stax.
Cissy Houston and Dorothy Moore both recorded superb versions of “The Only Time You Say You Love Me” during the 1970’s, but Mavis’s interpretation sets the standard. The song builds and builds as Mavis bares her suffering heart, pleading in desperation for the love that is no longer hers. It is incomprehensible that a marvel such as this was deemed unfit for release by Stax.
The final track not to make the cut, “Chains Of Love”, is beguilingly bluesy and atmospheric.
“Only For The Lonely” was recorded mostly at United Studios in Detroit in late 1969 with a six piece rhythm section assembled by producer Don Davis. Most of the tracks are originals rather than covers. Davis did an admirable job of bringing out the best in Mavis’s singing. The songs and arrangements provide her with plenty of scope to express herself, and amaze us with her artistry.
The ballad, “I Have Learned To Do Without You”, was released as a single in 1970 and deservedly reached number 13 on the R&B chart. “How Many Times” gives Mavis the opportunity to show what she could do with a country soul song, and she is more than up to the challenge.
Mavis’s beautiful interpretation of the Brook Benton standard, “Endlessly”, is an inspired affirmation of love. Mavis adopts just the right attitude for “You’re The Fool” before taking on Buddy Johnson’s “Since I Fell For You”. Mavis takes the song to new heights with her flawless phrasing, gripping vocal inflections and powerfully emotive wailing. This is a real tour de force.
“What Happened to The Real Me”, with its Spanish flavour, lets Mavis show another side of her vocal prowess. Her joyful take on “Since You Became A Part Of My Life” is a compelling affirmation of love. Mavis doesn’t let up one bit with the mid-tempo “It Makes Me Wanna Cry” and the country ballad, “Don’t Change Me Now”. Both songs are elevated by Mavis’s beautiful emotive touch.
Following the release of her two solo albums for Stax, Mavis achieved stardom as the lead singer for the Staple singers. She continues to perform to this day thrilling her legions of ardent fans. She deserves every bit of her considerable success.
“Mavis Staples: Don’t Change Me Now” features the songs that established Mavis Staples as one of soul music’s pre-eminent artists. Nothing she has done before or after has surpassed these brilliant recordings. “Mavis Staples: Don’t Change Me Now” deserves a special place in every soul lover’s collection.
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Review Of “Mavis Staples: Don’t Change Me Now”
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