You Are Not Alone
by Mavis Staples
  • Record Label: Epitaph
  • Release Date: Sep 14, 2010
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Paste Magazine
    91
    The production is bright and clear, and the arrangements showcase the star.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    You Are Not Alone is mostly invigorating gospel, though he somehow got her to apply that mighty rasp to the saddest song ever, Randy Newman's "Losing You."
  3. The A.V. Club
    91
    You Are Not Alone is ultimately timeless rather than retro.
  5. Billboard.com
    85
    At 71, Staples still knows how to hang tough and shows no signs of slowing down.
  6. Pitchfork
    82
    Rather than protest the state of the world, Staples is toasting human endurance-- hers as well as ours.
  7. CMJ
    Jan 11, 2011
    80
    Despite reaching her eighth decade, Staples is making music that is strikingly modern, but the defining concept of the album is timeless: unadulterated hope.
  8. Under The Radar
    Oct 26, 2010
    80
    With You Are Not Alone, Staples proves that, at the age of 71, her voice is in better shape than ever. [Fall 2010, p.69]
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  9. Uncut
    80
    The stripped-down, Muscle Shoals-style arrangements give Mavis space to do her thing, and the song choices are spot-on. [Oct 2010, p.106]
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  10. Dusted Magazine
    80
    There's nothing self-consciously modern or calculated about You Are Not Alone, no visible strain from trying to mold Staples' style into something she's not. It's just her, as she is at her best, and Tweedy deserves credit for bringing that out.
  11. Boston Globe
    80
    The entire set speaks directly to the struggles and fears of an America desperately searching for some meaning and uplift. Staples and Tweedy have crafted a record with heart and grace, but also some toughness--all of them necessary if the goal is transcending troubled times.
  12. Hartford Courant
    80
    Produced by Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy, Staples' latest is a joyous celebration of life and faith on traditional gospel songs and tunes by Tweedy, Allen Toussaint, John Fogerty, Randy Newman and Staples' father, Roebuck "Pops" Staples.
  13. AllMusic
    70
    You Are Not Alone is a solid outing that somehow amazingly manages to be both secular and sacred at once, and there is a stripped-down timelessness to it.
  14. PopMatters
    70
    If consistency has its rewards, then You Are Not Alone is a treasure.
  15. Rolling Stone
    70
    Staples isn't just a survivor. She's a great singer who is best when she gets to press onward.

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best Album of 2010

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