Pops Staples – Don’t Lose This

The blues guitar and gospel vocals of dearly departed Pops Staples and the rest of the Staples family, has always been sweet music to my ears. But the release of Pops Staples’ most recent album by Mavis Staples in 2015, 15 years after his passing, and amongst the rest of the world’s contemporary releases, is ever so much sweeter.
Pops Staples - Don't Lose This (2015)

Pops Staples- Don’t Lose This (2015)

Don’t Lose This was originally recorded and produced by Pops and Mavis Staples shortly before his passing in 2000. On the album sleeve Mavis shares these words about the evolution of those recordings between then and their release now.
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“I chose this title because these were the words my father said to me as he gave me the tape of his final recordings.
 
He was sick and lying in bed and asked me to play the records for him in his room. After listening to it, he called me to his room again. He was weak, but he handed me the tape and in a soft voice said “Don’t lose this, Mavis.” I said “I won’t Pops. I won’t lose it.”
 
Since his passing, I’ve listened to these recordings many times over; it always brought me so much joy to hear his voice and guitar playing. He was an amazing musician, man and father. He was my best friend.
 
While Pops’ voice and guitar sounded so good on the original recordings (and remain untouched on this record), I knew the songs needed something else to really come to life. Something special. Pops deserved that. So I called on my dear friend Jeff Tweedy to fill out the tracks around Pops and he’s helped to craft this beautiful album.
 
I’m proud to share these recordings. I haven’t lost them Pops!
 
Here are the last songs from my hero, Pops Staples.”
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Pops Staples - Don't Lose This (2015)

Pops Staples - Don't Lose This (2015)

 Somebody Was Watching – Pops Staples – Don’t Lose This
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 No News Is Good News – Pops Staples – Don’t Lose This
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The pure, wholesome, soothing, feel-right sounds of Pops Staples heard on Don’t Lose This are a musical diamond in the 2015 rough. Thanks to Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy those sounds have not been lost – and the world has gained muchly from this wonderful musical gift it’s been given.
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Pops Staples sings that taking Jesus as his guide meant his bad times became better than his good times used to be. I say that people who add Don’t Lose This to their music collection, preferably on sweet vinyl of course, can expect to find that both their bad times and their good times will become much better for it thereafter.