Wise Guys

Stuart has found a singularly seductive way to do that, by basing his version of gospel music in the electrified Mississippi testifying of the Staple Singers. It's one influence Stuart hasn't always worn on his sleeve, but one that he does enough justice here to last a lifetime.

Stuart the producer knows just how little watering these songs need to bloom, setting warm, full-bodied harmonies in a web of spidery electric guitar, nudged along by a spare, restrained rhythm section and a few drops of B-3 organ. Surprisingly, Superlatives drummer Harry Stinson and bass player Brian Glenn give up their rhythm duties (to Chad Cromwell and Glenn Worf, respectively) to concentrate solely on harmonies here. It's a gamble that works, showcasing a natural, easy vocal blend honed at leisure on the bus and backstage.

The album is a blend of Staples numbers, traditional and classic gospel and Stuart originals, and he has chosen (and composed) them with such care that it's often difficult to know which is which. It's easy to imagine Stuart's "It's Time to Go Home" or the tour-de-force "The Gospel Story of Noah's Ark" rocking the pews a century ago. Souls' Chapel winds up with a pair of locomotive Staples songs: Steve Cropper and William Bell's "Slow Train" and Pops Staples' "Move Along Train." By the time Mavis Staples herself comes swooping in on the latter, the devil doesn't stand a chance. You may not be converted, but you'll remember that—even in these days of Christian-right rule that divides to conquer—there still is a welcoming power in the good word.

As a coda, Stuart appends his instrumental title cut. It's a moment of calm reflection that seems to suggest we should savor our time on earth, while making it as heavenly as possible—and that, even if it's getting there, it's not dark yet.