We'll Never Turn Back - Mavis Staples
User Score
9.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12

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  1. RonJ
    May 3, 2007
    10
    Mavis and Ry Cooder!....To my old ears, this is simply amazing. Important and funky....Best I have heard in years....
  2. BradleyP
    Apr 30, 2007
    10
    Outstanding work. At 66, Mavis Staples takes most young R&B singers to school and shows them "how it's done" with rock solid grit and charisma. As a friend said when he heard it, "there is absolutely nothing wrong with her singing!" - he meant it as a joke because she is so relentlessly perfect in her delivery. Every note drips with that "Rock of Ages" experience. Ry Cooder provides the funk and atmospherics we expect, exceptionally tasteful and organic. The political content is pronounced and self-evident, and her observations are spot-on in 2007. A real treat.… Expand
  3. HiNumber
    May 8, 2007
    10
    Powerful.
  4. rub
    Apr 29, 2007
    10
    critics don't know shit - the music is simply amazing. simple.
  5. StefB.
    May 26, 2007
    9
    A long overdue album, soulful and moving. Mavis Staples is revisiting the songs and give them power, she gives us food for thoughts. Great masterpiece.
  6. D.C.
    Apr 27, 2007
    9
    Mavis's voice may crack in places, but her heart and grit are as strong as ever. This album is really a Staples/Cooder joint venture, and given Katrina and New Orelans, the NY shootings, Obama's candidacy, etc., etc., the freedom songs that are featured here are all relevent, and, abobe all, all brimming with angry, hopeful, proud, inspiring soul. Mavis testifies in the best of gospel tradition, and together with Cooder's slide guitar, channels her father, Pops Staples' message. All in all, one of best releases so far this year.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. All Music Guide
    70
    We'll Never Turn Back is the kind of album we need at the moment, one that doesn't flinch from the tradition but doesn't present it as a museum piece either.
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  2. Amazon.com
    60
    If her album is musically uneven at times, her artistry and strength continue to shine as undimmed beacons.
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  3. NOW Magazine
    100
    Her great success is making these protest songs personal, and she does it in a most profoundly moving way.
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