Carry Me Home (album) explained

Carry Me Home
Type:	Live
Artist:	Levon Helm and Mavis Staples
Cover:	Levon Helm and Mavis Staples - Carry Me Home.jpg
Alt:	A black background with the artists' name and title in white and a tiny line drawing of a barn
Recorded:	June 3, 2011
Venue:	Levon Helm Studios, Woodstock, New York, United States
Genre:	Roots rock, rhythm and blues
Language:	English
Label:	Anti-
Producer:	Larry Campbell
Chronology:	Levon Helm
Prev Title:	The Midnight Ramble Sessions, Volume Three
Prev Year:	2014

Carry Me Home is a 2022 collaborative album between Americans roots rock drummer Levon Helm and soul singer Mavis Staples, released on Anti-. Made from sessions recorded at Helm's studio in 2011, shortly before his death, the album has received praise from critics.

Critical reception

Editors at AnyDecentMusic? characterized critical consensus as a 7.5 out of 10, with eight reviews. The editors of AllMusic scored the album four out of five stars, with reviewer Mark Deming noting that "it's an excellent document of the simple, powerfully eloquent magic that happens when Mavis Staples steps before a vocal mike and lets her spirit elevate all around her". For Pitchfork, Grayson Haver Currin rated this release a 7.5 out of 10, summing it up as "a jubilant lesson in living history" with Helm's drumming, Staples' singing, and their dual backing bands noted as powerful ensembles, as well as the political and religious themes of the lyrics. In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis rated Cary Me Home four out of five stars, also pointing out Staples' "big, arresting, church-reared voice with a gritty undertow" that commands the performance. For American Songwriter, Lee Zimmerman rated the album a four out of five, writing that it "resonates in a meaningful and mighty way". For PopMatters, Steve Horowitz pointed out the recording's strong vocal performance by Staples and the varied accompaniment that allows her to take the lead on certain tracks; he rated it an eight out of 10.

Track listing

1. "This Is My Country" (Curtis Mayfield) – 4:34
2. "Trouble in My Mind" (Richard M. Jones) – 5:04
3. "Farther Along" (W. B. Stevens) – 4:22
4. "Hand Writing on the Wall" (Dottie Peoples, Harvey Lee Watkins, Jr.) – 4:06
5. "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" (Dick Dallas, Billy Taylor) – 3:42
6. "Move Along Train" (Roebuck "Pops" Staples) – 3:27
7. "This May Be the Last Time" (Roebuck "Pops" Staples) – 4:38
8. "When I Go Away" (Larry Campbell) – 5:16
9. "Wide River to Cross" (Buddy Miller, Julie Miller) – 5:08
10. "You Got to Move" (Mississippi Fred McDowell) – 2:41
11. "You Got to Serve Somebody" (Bob Dylan) – 5:36
12. "The Weight" (Robbie Robertson) – 5:56

Personnel

Levon Helm Band

• Steven Bernstein – trumpet
• Larry Campbell – harmony vocals, guitar, mandolin, production
• Jay Collins – tenor saxophone
• Clark Gayton – trombone
• Amy Helm – harmony vocals
• Levon Helm – drums, vocals, executive production
• Erik Lawrence – baritone saxophone
• Brian Mitchell – piano, keyboards
• Byron Isaacs – bass guitar
• Teresa Williams – harmony vocals
• Jim Weider – guitar

Mavis Staples Band

• Donny Gerrard – harmony vocals
• Stephen Hodges – drums
• Rick Holmstrom – guitar
• Vicki Randle – harmony vocals
• Mavis Staples – vocals, executive production
• Yvonne Staples – harmony vocals
• Jeff Turmes – bass guitar

Technical personnel

• Mark Chalecki – audio mastering at Little Red Book Mastering
• Justin Guip – audio engineering
• Brendan McDonough – assistant engineering
• Landon Speers – photography

External links

• Details on the recording from Staples' site