Roebuck "Pops" Staples

This Acadia Records release combines Pop Staples' two solo albums, 1992's Peace to the Neighborhood and 1994's Father Father, on one disc. Both albums were recorded when Staples was well into his seventies, so his voice wasn't quite what it used to be, having been reduced to a Curtis Mayfield-like quaver, but that isn't really a drawback since it gives these tracks an immediate and delicate intimacy. Coupled with his patented reverb-laced guitar playing, Staples wonderfully blurs the line between what is secular and what is sacred on cuts like "World in Motion," "Hope in a Hopeless World," and the stunningly atmospheric "Down in Mississippi," further perfecting the gospel, blues and R&B hybrid he had been delivering all of his career, giving it that trademark Pop Staples swampy funk feel. Placing these two albums together is a no-brainer, since both work with the same elements, combing Saturday night rhythms with Sunday morning sentiments until the line between them is all but erased. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide