The latest in the recent string of Staple Singers reissues from Omnivore Recordings is Africa 80. This live recording, restored and engineered by Michael Graves, is a vital document of this group's enduring contributions to American soul forms. It's also an audio souvenir of the first visit to Africa by The Staple Singers.
Sponsored by the U.S. government, The Staple Singers embarked on this goodwill tour to perform some of their biggest hits to new audiences. Familiar numbers like "Let's Do It Again" and "Respect Yourself" are here, of course, as is a rapturous "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend", this set's closer. Those tunes, as resilient as ever, are zesty and energetic in these live versions, but the real surprises on Africa 80 are outside these hits. Highlights in that regard include a swell cover of "Ease on Down the Road" from The Wiz (1978), and a sublime "A House is Not a Home", with the Hal David/Burt Bacharach classic being a showcase for the power of Mavis Staples as a singer. Throughout this set the band provides necessary fuel for the soul and gospel being sung, but it's Pop Staples as both guide vocalist and guitarist who really anchors this performance. This is a vital document of the strengths of The Staple Singers in the era after their biggest hits, and as they eased into the Eighties.
Africa 80 by The Staple Singers is out now via Omnivore Recordings.
[Photo: Omnivore Recordings.