Don't Lose This [LP]

by Roebuck "Pops" Staples

Overview

Don't Lose This is another positive result -- a gift, really -- from the creative partnership of Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy, an alliance that previously brought the Grammy-winning You Are Not Alone (2010) and One True Vine (2013). Prior to his December 2000 death, Pops Staples was in the process of making his fourth solo album. While enjoying a listen to its unfinished recordings, he said, as recalled by Mavis in a promotional clip, "Don't lose that, don't lose it." Over a decade later, Mavis -- with co-production, guitar, and bass from Tweedy, and drums from Tweedy's son Spencer -- fulfilled her promise. It can be strange to hear original and new elements at once, but nothing is as incongruous as the drum machine heard on Pops' previous solo album (1994's Father Father), and the message always gets through. As with any other recording involving Pops Staples, gospel, blues, and soul are indivisible, and the combination of his voice and tremolo -- especially when supported by family -- is like nothing else. The set begins with an original, a low-key and relaxed number where Pops sings of desperation and salvation: "Now my bad time is better than my good time used to be." Mavis takes the lead for "Love on My Side," a song that could have easily appeared on her Tweedy albums. The moments that stir the most are the ones where Pops' work seems to have been left untouched, as on a simple, effective version of "Nobody's Fault But Mine." ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	02/17/2015
Label:	Dbpm
UPC:	0045778739813
Rank:	37815

Tracks

1. Somebody Was Watching
2. Sweet Home
3. No News Is Good News
4. Love on My Side
5. Friendship
6. Nobody's Fault But Mine
7. The Lady's Letter
8. Better Home
9. Will the Circle Be Unbroken
10. Gotta Serve Somebody

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Roebuck "Pops" Staples   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Jeff Tweedy   Bass,Guitar
Mavis Staples   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tim Austin   Drums
Yvonne Staples   Vocals (Background)
Cleotha Staples   Vocals (Background)
Spencer Tweedy   Drums
Tony Grady   Bass

Technical Credits

Steve Weeder   Engineer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Mark Greenberg   Package Design,Assistant Engineer
Jeff Tweedy   Mixing,Producer,Package Design
Mavis Staples   Producer
Brenda Burns   Composer
Margaret Allison   Composer
Roebuck "Pops" Staples   Composer,Producer
Tom Schick   Mixing,Engineer
Paul Natkin   Photography
Spencer Tweedy   Package Design