''We'll Never Turn Back'' is the seventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

singer

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

, released April 24, 2007 on ANTI- Records. Recorded in 2007 and produced by

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

musician

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and h ...

, it is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

with lyrical themes relating to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Upon its release, ''We'll Never Turn Back'' received positive reviews from most music critics. It was also named one of the best albums of 2007 by several music writers and publications. The cover photo shows two young black women at a civil rights demonstration in the South, early 1960s.

Reception

Critical response

''We'll Never Turn Back'' received positive reviews from most music critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

score of 76, based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".We'll Never Turn Back (2007): Reviews

. Retrieved on 2009-06-11.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

writer Thom Jurek gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and commended Staples for her vocal ability and performance, while calling it "the kind of album we need at the moment, one that doesn't flinch from the tradition but doesn't present it as a museum piece either".Jurek, Thom. Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''

. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

''s Renée Graham praised Staples's singing and additional songwriting on the album, stating "Mavis Staples doesn't so much sing a song as baptize it in truth".Graham, Renée
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. Caroline Sullivan of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' praised her performance, stating "Staples is magnificent… Her voice is in tatters by the closing 'Jesus Is On the Mainline', and the memory lingers long after those ragged final notes".Sullivan, Caroline
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

''s Will Hermes gave ''We'll Never Turn Back'' a B+ rating and described Staples's voice as "rich, weathered, and full of fire".Hermes, Will
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' writer Pete Clark gave it four out of four stars and praised Ry Cooder's production.Clark, Pete
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the album "bluesy, unvarnished, gutsy and knowing", and he described its music as "righteous, not self-righteous, and never far from roots in the Mississippi mud".Pareles, Jon
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. However,

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, ...

writer Lester Feder expressed that its "musical sophistication" can overshadow Staples's lyrics, stating "the album’s sound is so easy on the ears that it is extremely tempting to let it drown out the challenging sentiments of her words".Feder, Lester
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''

. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. In his consumer guide for

MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History ...

, music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

gave ''We'll Never Turn Back'' an A− rating,Christgau, Robert. "Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''".

: May 2007
Archived
on 2009-11-08. indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction. Anyone open to its aesthetic will enjoy more than half its tracks". Christgau praised Staples's performance and wrote "she doesn't merely revive rousing old songs--she brings their moral passion into the present". Both ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' and the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' gave it ratings of three-and-a-half out of four stars.Gardner, Elysa
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. Jim DeRogatis of the latter publication wrote that Staples "infuses the material with a passion and urgency undiminished by the passing of time",DeRogatis, Jim.
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
. ''

'': April 29, 2007. and he discussed the relevance of the album's themes to current events, stating: ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''s Bill Friskics-Warren shared a similar sentiment in his review, writing "Staples reinvests… with the moral authority to speak to social and economic injustices that persist today" and "rarely have 'remakes' sounded so tonic or inspired".Friskics-Warren, Bill
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. The album received an A rating from the ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...

'', which wrote "In the course of celebrating a landmark, Staples and Cooder make one of their own".Columnist.
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
. ''

'': 24. April 23, 2007. ''We'll Never Turn Back'' also received perfect ratings from ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' and '' NOW'' magazine.Gill, Andy
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.Perlich, Tim
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
'' NOW''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

''s Ernest Hardy gave it a rave review and lauded the album's sound, writing "Powerfully raw, suggestive blues is the foundation of the CD, but that root allows the collaborators to sprawl through other genres, reminding you of the connections between them all — blues and gospel, spirituals and jazz".Hardy, Ernest
Review: ''We'll Never Turn Back''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.

Accolades

''We'll Never Turn Back'' was named one of the best albums of 2007 by several music writers and publications, including

(number 11) and ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...

'' (number five).Staff
The Best Albums of 2007
PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.Best Albums of 2007
Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. The album was ranked number 48 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.Robert Christgau, David Fricke, Christian Hoard, Rob Sheffield (December 17, 2007)
The Top 50 Albums of 2007
''

''. Retrieved 2007-12-20. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' columnist Todd Martens named ''We'll Never Turn Back'' the second best album of the year,Martens, Todd
The 20 Best Albums of 2007
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. and

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' ranked it number one on his list of the best albums of 2007.Kot, Greg
Best of 2007: 20 Thrilling Albums
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-11-08.

Track listing

* All songs were produced by

Personnel

Credits for ''We'll Never Turn Back'' adapted from liner notes. Credits: ''We'll Never Turn Back'' Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-08. * Aisha Ayers – production assistant * David Bartlett – photography * Joachim Cooder – percussion, arranger, producer *

– guitar, mandolin, arranger, producer * Mike Elizondo – bass, piano * Bettie Mae Fikes – background vocals *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...

– mastering * Rutha Harris – background vocals * Andy Kaulkin – executive producer *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Do ...

– drums *

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of ''isicathamiya'' and ''mbube (genre), mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with American Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Grace ...

– background vocals * Rep.

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

– liner notes * Pete Martinez – assistant * Charles Neblett – background vocals * Martin Pradler – engineer, mixing * Joshua Douglas Smith – assistant *

– arranger, vocals, author * Chris Strong – portraits * Susan Titelman – session photographer

Chart history

References

External links

*
We'll Never Turn Back
' at

ANTI- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. Founded by Andy Kaulkin, Anti- first gained attention by releasing Tom Waits's Grammy Award–winning '' Mule Variations'' in 1999. Other veteran recordin ...

website *
We'll Never Turn Back
' at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

website {{Authority control Mavis Staples albums 2007 albums Albums produced by Ry Cooder 2000s concept albums Anti- (record label) albums Albums recorded at Sound City Studios

Reception

Critical response

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Chart history

See also

References

External links