In 2004 Mavis Staples had indeed returned with the album, Have a Little Faith. Though some songs tended towards a more quiet and moody side there was no question she had returned to her high reign as the soulful priestess. There were many moments where she demonstrated her unique ability to make a song hers by digging deep into its real meaning. We’ll Never Turn Back continues this trend by uprooting traditional civil rights protest songs and giving them an edge that only Staples can muster.

Produced by Ry Cooder, We’ll Never Turn Back offers a slew of guest artists that complement Staples’ direction and sound perfectly. The original singers of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Community who were called The SNCC Freedom Singers, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Mike Elizando as well as Cooder and his son, percussionist Joachim, all join Staples in a gusty organic brew. Cooder shows his strengths as a producer by not overpowering Staples with unnecessary arrangements but by showcasing her vocal talents.

The album opens with J.B. Lenoir’s "Down in Mississippi" which welcomes the listener immediately to the weathered and gritty power of Staples’ voice. She tacks on at the end of the track a dialogue about her struggles with civil rights and injustice. Several times on the record she’ll use a song to show an example from her life and times without diminishing its integrity. Pervasive throughout We’ll Never Turn Back is Staples’ laughter. After singing a line like "They have a hunting season on the rabbit/If you shoot him, boy, you go to jail/But the season is always open on men/Don’t nobody need no bail" she’ll let out a short, yet knowing, guffaw which strongly translates as "Ain’t that the truth!"

The choice of material is impressive. The simple yet soulful arrangements are even more remarkable. "Eyes on the Prize" has Cooder showing off his snaky slide work which is as impassioned and funky as Staples’ voice. The upbeat rock tempo of "This Little Light of Mine" transforms it into an entirely new song altogether. The percolating gospel pop of "99 and ½ Won’t Do" has Staples leading the charge with the band bouncing off her wailing passages.

Two of the most emotional cuts here are "My Own Eyes" and "I’ll Be Rested" which are the new, original songs presented. The former is a personal story of her family’s trials and tribulations throughout the civil rights movement as inspired by the late Dr. King. There is urgency in her story that builds as the music cooks alongside her. Staples goes so far as indicting politicians on their failure in New Orleans. But when she belts, "I saw it with my own eyes/So I know it’s true," one cannot doubt her convictions. The latter is a long list of those who have suffered and strived in the struggle for their civil rights. It is a mournful, if not slightly optimistic mediation on the passage of time and hope for the future.

"Jesus Is on the Main Line" is the album closer and a tune Cooder had recorded on his record, Paradise and Lunch, back in 1974. The arrangement bears no resemblance to Cooder’s but here, with Staples at the helm, the end product is more invigorating. The delicate slowness of his guitar with its balance of background reverb and presence is a crony to Staples’ voice as it forces it to the surface. The Freedom Singers let loose while the band fires alongside. We’ll Never Turn Back is not only a record which is

emotionally powerful and charged with Mavis Staples undeniable talent, but a rare record for 2007 that is a necessary listen for everyone.