Personnel: Mavis Staples (vocals); Vernon Bullock (guitar, keyboards); Eddie Hinton, Michael Toles, Steve Cropper, Ray Monette (guitar); Eli Fountain (saxophone, percussion); Marvell Thomas (piano); Isaac Hayes (organ); Rudy Robinson, Barry Beckett, Bobby Manuel (keyboards); George McGregor, Al Jackson, Jr. , Roger Hawkins, Willie Hall (drums).
Recording information: Muscle Shoals (AL) Sound Studios (02/24/1969-09/29/1969); Muscle Shoals, Stax Studios, Un (02/24/1969-09/29/1969); United Studios, Detroit, MI (02/24/1969-09/29/1969).
Photographer: Joel Brodsky.
Unknown Contributor Roles: David Hood; Donald "Duck" Dunn; Eddie Hinton; Isaac Hayes; James Alexander ; Al Jackson, Jr. ; Marvell Thomas; Roger Hawkins; Steve Cropper; Barry Beckett; Willie Hall; Bobby Manuel.
Arranger: Steve Cropper.
Mavis Staples made an easy transition in the '60s from gospel to soul; she sang with the same fervor and passion, and her work for Stax, particularly the sessions produced by Don Davis, were concise, powerful examples of secular gospel at its best. The 21 selections found here were actually culled from three albums and spotlight Staples doing heartfelt ballads, soaring testimonials, and engaging midtempo and uptempo numbers. Even when she does songs associated with other singers like "Security," "The Choking Kind," and "Son of a Preacher Man," Staples finds fresh ways to express lyrics or new twists to lines that make them her own. ~ Ron Wynn
