AMG Review of Only for the Lonely [Compilation]

Ron Wynn
All Music Guide

Mavis Staples made an easy transition in the '60s from gospel to soul; she sang with the same fervor and passion, and her work for Stax, particularly the sessions produced by Don Davis, were concise, powerful examples of secular gospel at its best. The 21 selections found here were actually culled from three albums and spotlight Staples doing heartfelt ballads, soaring testimonials, and engaging midtempo and uptempo numbers. Even when she does songs associated with other singers like "Security," "The Choking Kind," and "Son of a Preacher Man," Staples finds fresh ways to express lyrics or new twists to lines that make them her own.