Let's Do It Again: A Brief Review Of A Quartet Of Staple Singers Reissues From Omnivore Recordings (And A Chance To Win A Set For Yourself!)

In one of the most appreciated and necessary reissue projects of 2020, Omnivore Recordings have brought out again four Seventies-era Staple Singers albums this month. Let's Do It Again (1975), Pass It On (1976), Family Tree (1977), and Unlock Your Mind (1978) are all out now, and this quartet fills in a few missing pieces in the output of the legendary gospel and soul family. There's really not a bad thing to say about any of these records, but I'm going to try to review each quickly and critically. And then I'm going to explain how you can win a set of these CD's for yourself.

Let's Do It Again (1976) is, of course, the soundtrack to the Sidney Poitier-directed hit film. Featuring the hugely popular title cut, and some soundtrack selections, this one might be, objectively speaking, the least essential album of the four recent reissues. That is not a knock on the quality here but, rather, an acknowledgement that the nature of the release as a soundtrack makes it so. Aside from the soundtrack pieces, "I Want To Thank You" is excellent, as is the surprisingly risque "Funky Love", one of the sexiest things this family ever released. Loaded with bonus cuts, this disc remains essential for fans, of course, and Let's Do It Again, as the group's first album outside Stax, has historical charm too.

Pass It On, recorded at Curtis Mayfield's studios and produced by him, is a delight. Billed to The Staples, the record of Mayfield compositions soothes, from the enticing and insistent "Sweeter Than Sweet", and on to the blending of gospel with slinky soul on the title cut. Yvonne, Mavis, Cleo, and Pops own this material, with Mayfield's touch as a producer suggesting that his Seventies streak was capable of delivering some unexpected gems. "Take Your Own Time" is full of real funky appeal, while "The Real Thing Inside Me", an odd choice for an album opener, stakes out a blues-rooted groove that Mavis mines for real glory. Pass It On, the group's first record on Warner Brothers, has all the earmarks of a Curtis Mayfield production, but with all the pleasures of The Staple Singers' own back-catalog wrapped up in the kind of production that Mayfield was a master of in the Seventies (think the Claudine soundtrack for Gladys Knight & The Pips for a similar vibe). This one is really a career high-point for the post-Sixties Staples, as far as I'm concerned, and the sort of thing that Curtis devotees need to seek out too.

Family Tree from 1977 was produced by Eugene Record of The Chi-Lites and his touch is a good deal lighter than Mayfield's was on the earlier album. I suppose I mean lighter in the sense that this is a record with real pop aspirations, and the juxtaposition of the group's message-oriented appeal with the more modern studio sound is an interesting, if not always successful, one. The title cut is smart, and message-centered, but also the sort of thing that should have been a huge radio hit. Elsewhere, "Hang Loose" sounds a tiny bit like The Meters, the southern soul here commanded by Pops in fine fashion as the family joins in around him on vocal passages. A cover of the Olivia Newton-John hit "I Honestly Love You" allows Mavis to show off her legendary powers as a vocalist, while "Let's Go to the Disco" answers the question of what would it have sounded like if The Staple Singers had done a disco number. The cut is smooth and sleek but surprisingly effective, as is nearly everything on this record, the strongest, perhaps, of the four reissues in this set from Omnivore. I say that even acknowledging that the sound here is a few steps removed from that of the band's most famous recordings for other labels earlier in their long and legendary career.

Produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Becket at Muscle Shoals, 1978's Unlock Your Mind should have been this band's masterpiece. It's excellent in spots, but, to me at least, not as consistent as the album before this one. "Chica Boom" is a monster groove, with the Staples loosing themselves in the hook, while "Don't Burn Me" is even better. This cut melds a grim, end-of-the-world-lyrical idea with a funky rhythmic riff that works spectacularly well, while "God Can" is a similarly spiritual number, but one which is a good deal lighter in mood and delivery. If the rest of the album seems scattershot, a cover of the classic "Mystery Train" with Pops on lead vocals is a real delight, as is a surprising cover of "Showdown" by ELO. That the song works, and sounds like it was written for the band is a testament to the strengths of these four musicians, and the good sense of the producers of Unlock Your Mind for including the track. While the entire record is nicely produced, with a glossy vibe throughout it, the album rarely sounds dated or of its era. And there's no disco song, so some will likely love Unlock Your Mind more than Family Tree.

Let's Do It Again (1975), Pass It On (1976), Family Tree (1977), and Unlock Your Mind (1978) are all out now via Omnivore Recordings.

For a chance to win a copy of each of these four reissues on CD, please email your answer to the following question to me at kenixfan@gmail.com and a winner will be chosen at random from the first 50 answers on June 30. The contest is open only to residents of the United States and the winning prize will be delivered via USPS First Class or USPS Media Mail.

Let's Do It Again (1976) is a sequel to what other film from director Sidney Poitier?

[Photo: Richard Fegley]