''Carry Me Home'' is a 2022 collaborative album between Americans

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...

drummer

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...

, released on

Anti- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel (Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The Cou ...

. Made from sessions recorded at Helm's studio in 2011, shortly before his death, the album has received praise from critics.

Critical reception

Editors at

AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...

characterized critical consensus as a 7.5 out of 10, with eight reviews. The editors of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

scored the album four out of five stars, with reviewer Mark Deming noting that "it's an excellent document of the simple, powerfully eloquent magic that happens when Mavis Staples steps before a vocal mike and lets her spirit elevate all around her". For ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'', Grayson Haver Currin rated this release a 7.5 out of 10, summing it up as "a jubilant lesson in living history" with Helm's drumming, Staples' singing, and their dual backing bands noted as powerful ensembles, as well as the political and religious themes of the lyrics. In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'',

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...

rated ''Cary Me Home'' four out of five stars, also pointing out Staples' "big, arresting, church-reared voice with a gritty undertow" that commands the performance. For ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'', Lee Zimmerman rated the album a four out of five, writing that it "resonates in a meaningful and mighty way". For ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'', Steve Horowitz pointed out the recording's strong vocal performance by Staples and the varied accompaniment that allows her to take the lead on certain tracks; he rated it an eight out of 10.

Track listing

#"This Is My Country" (

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

) – 4:34 #" Trouble in My Mind" (

Richard M. Jones Richard M. Jones, born Richard Marigny Jones (sometimes written Richard Mariney Jones), (June 13, 1892 – December 8, 1945) was an American jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and record producer. Numerous songs bear his name as author, includi ...

) – 5:04 #"Farther Along" (W. B. Stevens) – 4:22 #"Hand Writing on the Wall" (

Dottie Peoples Dorothy "Dottie" Peoples (born August 12, 1950) is an American gospel singer from Dayton, Ohio. After completing high school, she toured with gospel pioneer Dorothy Norwood, a member of the Caravans. After a stint in jazz, she relocated to Atlant ...

, Harvey Lee Watkins, Jr.) – 4:06 #"I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" (

Dick Dallas Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

, Bill Taylor) – 3:42 #"Move Along Train" (

Roebuck "Pops" Staples Roebuck may refer to: Animals *Roe buck or roebuck, a male roe deer People * Alvah Curtis Roebuck (1864–1948), American businessman, co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company * Daniel Roebuck (born 1963), American television film actor, writer a ...

) – 3:27 #"This May Be the Last Time" (Roebuck "Pops" Staples) – 4:38 #"When I Go Away" (

Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born 28 February 1948) is a Canadian politician that served as the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada from 2002 until 2005 and since 2005 has been a member of the Senate of Canada. Before he was mayor, Campbell worked for t ...

) – 5:16 #"Wide River to Cross" (

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Miller is married to and has recorded with singer-songwriter Julie Miller. ...

Julie Miller Julie Anne Miller (born Julie Griffin, July 12, 1956) is a songwriter, singer, and recording artist living in Nashville, Tennessee. She married Buddy Miller in 1981. They sing and play on each other's solo projects and have recorded three duet ...

) – 5:08 #"You Got to Move" (

Mississippi Fred McDowell Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972), known by his stage name Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American hill country blues singer and guitar player. Career McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee, United States. His parents were f ...

) – 2:41 #" You Got to Serve Somebody" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

) – 5:36 #"

The Weight "The Weight" is a song by the Canadian-American group the Band that was released as a single in 1968 and on the group's debut album ''Music from Big Pink''. It was their first release under this name, after their previous releases as Canadian ...

" (

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel in ...

) – 5:56

Personnel

Levon Helm Band *Steven Bernstein – trumpet *

–

harmony vocals Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...

, guitar, mandolin,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

*Jay Collins –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

*Clark Gayton – trombone *Amy Helm –

– drums, vocals, executive production *Erik Lawrence –

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

*Brian Mitchell – piano, keyboards *Byron Isaacs – bass guitar *Teresa Williams – harmony vocals *

Jim Weider James Jeffrey Weider (born December 21, 1951) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Band. He joined the reformed version of the Band in 1985 to replace original guitarist Robbie Robertson. Biography A native of Woodstock, ...

– guitar Mavis Staples Band *Donny Gerrard – harmony vocals *Stephen Hodges – drums *Rick Holmstrom – guitar *Vicki Randle – harmony vocals *

– vocals, executive production * Yvonne Staples – harmony vocals *Jeff Turmes – bass guitar Technical personnel *Mark Chalecki –

audio mastering Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via met ...

at Little Red Book Mastering *Justin Guip –

audio engineering Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound * Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum * Digital audio, representation of sou ...

*Brendan McDonough – assistant engineering *Landon Speers – photography

References

External links

Details on the recording from Staples' site
* * {{Authority Control 2022 live albums Anti- (record label) albums Collaborative albums Levon Helm live albums Mavis Staples live albums Albums produced by Larry Campbell (musician)