Reviewed by Tony May

As if you hadn't noticed, we Christians can be really silly-billys! We sometimes hear competent Christian talent that might get a booking in a room over a pub in the real world and go totally over the top with extrav-agent use of flowery adjectives. Yet the church can ignore Christians who really do have exceptional musi­cal talent (particularly if they're black) while the world goes gaga with praise. Our hipper readers will know Pop Staples is the Christian singer/guitarist best remembered as head of the Staples Singers, whose gospel music tracks remain virtually unmatched for raw, throbbing power. Though now in his seventies, Pops retains his ability to pump a song up to exploding point. One this album, which has received rave reviews in the mass media, the emphasis is on "mes­sage" songs rather than strict gospel. Produced by Ry Cooder, whose vicious acoustic slide guitar weaves its usual magic while that voice is pure mississippi magic. Wizz-kids like Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, some Staples Singers, Jim Keltner, and Cooder's usual backing vocalists create a shimmering brew of blues, soul and gospel sounds guaranteed to give goose-bumps. Pops leads the charge with an authority befit­ting an authentic giant of the music world. A magnifi­cent album and that's no overblown hype. If Pops ever starts a Christian ministry he should call it Sarah Ministries (our motto: old but still productive

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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