CANDI STATON "His Hands" (2006)

Talk about a comeback. The former first lady of Southern soul, now 66, reaches back to her secular heyday for In His Hands, a chronicle of hurt so drenched in raw feeling you can practically wring out the sweat and tears. This is music as time-travel: like Sharon Jones of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings or Bettye Lavette, Staton flouts the rules of modern music-making--nothing flashy here, no tarted-up beats or slick come-ons--in favor of sending her listeners to somewhere deep in the trenches of a heart that--despite it all--refuses to frost over. The wrenching title track tears the no-trespassing sign off the topic of domestic abuse with transcendent honesty, and "In Name Only," a love song, rips delicately at the seams of the soul. Seven of these 11 tracks are covers, but Staton's gift for interpretation and her gloriously clawed-up voice renders them instantly, powerfully her own. In His Hands adds up to a stroke of genius on the part of the normally electro-oriented Astrelwerks label. Look for other forward-thinking, hip purveyors of music to follow suit, unleashing decades' worth of soul on the world. --Tammy La Gorce, Amazon

The successful self-titled reissue of Fame-era material released in early 2004 allowed Candi Staton to make this, her first secular album in several years. His Hands is 100 percent Southern soul. Staton involves several family members and longtime associates, including son Marcus Williams (a seasoned drummer who has played with her for years), daughter Cassandra Hightower, sister Maggie Staton Peebles, and Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section organist Barry Beckett. It might be surprising to see that Lambchop's Mark Nevers produced the session, and that Lambchop ally Lloyd Barry arranged the horns, but both men have done extensive work with Staton's peers in the gospel world. Though seven of the 11 songs are provided by others (Merle Haggard, Red Simpson, Bert Berns, Will Oldham), Staton uses almost all of the album to work through the pain caused by her brutal past relationships, some of which came and went as she was churning out gospel material. Something like this has evidently been a long time coming. Going by her performances, she's possibly more familiar with the emotions running through the likes of "When Hearts Grow Cold" and "You Never Really Wanted Me" than the songwriters, and her voice remains a rich and powerful instrument -- it's amazing how little her voice has changed through nearly four decades. Even when the arrangements come too close to resembling slight facsimiles of classic Southern soul (which isn't too frequently), Staton's heartache is enough to cut through your soul. This is a very good album, and knowing that Staton seems to have cleared a glorious path through her dependencies and abusive relationships makes it all the more sweet. (by Andy Kellman, Allmusic)

trax: 01 You Don't Have Far To Go 02 When Hearts Grow Cold 03 It's Not Easy Letting Go 04 His Hands 05 How Do I Get Over You? 06 You Never Really Wanted Me 07 I'll Sing A Love Song To You 08 In Name Only 09 Running Out Of Love 10 Cry To Me 11 When Will I? ...served by Gyro1966...