Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Any anthology which endeavours to chronicle such a lengthy recording career as that of the Staples has its work cut out, but thanks to the loving care and the tenacity of the industry sleuths tracking down the licensing rights of the 44 songs crammed onto these two CDs, this is the best Staples Singers compilation we're ever likely to see. In case you weren't aware the Staple Singers were one of the first groups to "cross over" from gospel to rhythm & blues and this set offers plenty of examples of the group in all their searing, VeeJay Records authenticity and also their engaging Stax Records heyday as purveyors of music which could sometimes slip God into the proceedings but more often had to be content with lyrics concerned with universal love. Gospel purists will be very familiar with the early classics like 1956's "Uncloudy Day" while pop R&B nostalgists will love to hear 1972's "I'll Take You There" (both here in all their glory). But there's much else besides - unissued tracks from the Stax vaults including solos from Pops and Mavis; obscure items ranging from their first 78 "Won't You Sit Down" for United in 1953 through to rare sides for Sharp, Epic and Riverside, and even their magnificent 1984 take on Talking Heads' "Slippery People". This fascinating compilation does reveal one or two musical snags - by the time the group got to Curtis Mayfield's Curtom Records in the mid-'70s the group's material was often both thoroughly "secular" and pretty banal. And it's a shame that the skilled compiler Tony Rounce couldn't have found room for the Staples' last stone classic, the Pops-led "God Can". But really these are minor quibbles. This set ably demonstrates why Mavis is possibly the greatest diva of the golden age of soul and why the Staple Singers are so hugely important in the continuing story of Christian musicians' interaction with the world.

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