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Tweedy To Produce Mavis Staples Record


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From Pitchfork: Earlier this week, Wilco announced a monster international tour that'll keep them good and busy up through May. But even with all those travel plans ahead of him, frontman Jeff Tweedy has another big project in the works. Billboard reports (via TwentyFourBit) that Tweedy is currently working on an album with Chicago soul/gospel deity Mavis Staples.

 

According to Billboard, Tweedy and Staples are working together at Wilco's Chicago studio, the Wilco Loft. And they've recruited a couple of other high-wattage singers to join the sessions: Nora O'Connor and Kelly Hogan, who have worked with Neko Case. The album should come out on Anti- this year.

 

 

HOW FUCKING AWESOME!?!?!?! I for one am extremely excited about this. Hopefully this is the first of many future producing projects for Jeff.

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Producing a soul/gospel singer is interesting. Most people don't associate him with that/those genre of music. Then again, Sky Blue Sky had a lot of tunes that IMO had a strong soul vibe to them. Something that a lot of people missed or didn't get.

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It's great news. Her last record, We'll Never Turn Back, was produced by some guy named Ry Cooder. I wonder if Jeff feels any pressure to produce a great sound for Mavis on this one. I certainly would.

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i absolutely adore Mavis Staples. She was a guest on Wait, Wait, Don't tell once and they cut a segment just to include more of her interview. she's absolutely precious. Jeff producing a Mavis Staples album....interesting.

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  • 4 months later...

It'll be interesting to see how wearing the producer's hat on someone else's record influences the sound of the next Wilco record.

 

Producing a soul/gospel singer is interesting. Most people don't associate him with that/those genre of music. Then again, Sky Blue Sky had a lot of tunes that IMO had a strong soul vibe to them. Something that a lot of people missed or didn't get.

 

Note that SBS is the record Tweedy chose to send Ms. Staples to give her an idea of what Wilco sounds like. Maybe producing a straight-up soul/gospel record will make the next Wilco record sound more like the "dirty soul" that SBS was supposed to be. (read: I did hear the soul in SBS, but it wasn't all dirty.) (read: i enjoy SBS).

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Thanks for the link..

 

Liked the below quote:

 

And this guy on guitar, Nels, now he's the only one that didn't come to the session. He did come to the Hideout but I didn't get a chance to meet him there. I just thought he was from somewhere out in space, getting down on that guitar.
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Such a cool article. She sounds totally down to earth and genuinely enthusiastic about working with Jeff and the rest of Wilco. This has got to be an invigorating and renewing experience for Jeff.

 

BTW, anybody notice that the photo was by Spencer? (I'm vaguely ashamed of myself for reading the blog of a 14 year old kid, but he is really remarkable!)

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Such a cool article. She sounds totally down to earth and genuinely enthusiastic about working with Jeff and the rest of Wilco. This has got to be an invigorating and renewing experience for Jeff.

 

BTW, anybody notice that the photo was by Spencer? (I'm vaguely ashamed of myself for reading the blog of a 14 year old kid, but he is really remarkable!)

 

I agree on both. Fantastic interview by the way. Will Jeff improve Ry Cooder's last collaboration with Mavis?

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I agree on both. Fantastic interview by the way. Will Jeff improve Ry Cooder's last collaboration with Mavis?

Cooder's album was sort of a concept thing. I am sure Tweedy album will be great. Her Aligator album is also very fine, as is her Hideout album.

 

LouieB

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Tracklisting:

 

1. You Don’t Knock

2. You Are Not Alone

3. Downward Road

4. In Christ There Is No East And West

5. Creep Along, Moses

6. Losing You

7. I Belong To The Band

8. Last Train

9. Only The Lord Knows

10. Wrote A Song For Everyone

11. We’re Gonna Make It

12. Wonderful Savior

13. Too Close To Heaven / I’m On My Way To Heaven Anyhow

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Producing a soul/gospel singer is interesting. Most people don't associate him with that/those genre of music. Then again, Sky Blue Sky had a lot of tunes that IMO had a strong soul vibe to them. Something that a lot of people missed or didn't get.

 

good point. hate it here would be a good cover i think. he's writing material for this album too, right?

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Guest Speed Racer

Producing a soul/gospel singer is interesting. Most people don't associate him with that/those genre of music. Then again, Sky Blue Sky had a lot of tunes that IMO had a strong soul vibe to them. Something that a lot of people missed or didn't get.

 

Eh, I think it was Wilco's execution that missed this vibe, and the feedback I read about the album says more than a few people share this view. I think a lot of songs on SBS could have been better-executed as soul; the band brought too much "blue-eyed" and not enough "soul" to the table in my opinion. Almost every song on the album could stand on its own as a good soul tune, it just didn't happen that they recorded them that way.

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