View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (9 ratings)
- Date Released: June 11, 2001
- Genre: Spiritual
- Style: Oldies, Soul/R&B, Gospel
- Label: Fantasy / Stax
-
They Say...
By the early '70s, despite a roster that included the Dramatics and Isaac Hayes, Stax Records was winding down. The Staple Singers, signed to the label in the late '60s, always provided hit singles and respected album efforts. Despite their gospel beginnings, the Staple Singers' biggest draws became Pops Staples' blues-based "devil's music" guitar and Mavis Staples' breathy and sexy vocals. Their 1972 album, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, all but set the template for their subsequent work. Be What You Are in some respects is an often overly cautious follow-up. The first single, "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)," comes off as a softer take on "I'll Take You There." While the implications of having a narrow lyrical scope did impede the group somewhat, Be What You Are has the group mining familiar terrain with minimal wear. Tracks like "Love Comes in All Colors," "Tellin' Lies," and the masterful "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend" are all strong and well-produced tracks in the group's rural yet urbane style. The effort's lone cover of Bill Withers' "Grandma's Hands," despite Mavis Staples' lead, comes up short due to the perfection of the Withers original. Mavis Staples also gets two solo efforts here, including Bettye Crutcher's tough "Drown Yourself" and the spare "Heaven." Be What You Are isn't as strong or innovative as its predecessor, but it is a cohesive album and a must-have for fans.
-
You Say...
Write a ReviewI would like to say...
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
| 01. |  |
Be What You Are |
5:03 |  |
| 02. | |
If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) |
4:29 | |
| 03. | |
Medley: Love Comes In All Colors / Tellin' Lies |
8:51 | |
| 04. | |
Touch A Hand, Make A Friend |
4:04 | |
| 05. | |
Drown Yourself |
4:38 | |
| 06. | |
I Ain't Raisin' No Sand |
6:33 | |
| 07. | |
Grandma's Hands |
2:43 | |
| 08. | |
Bridges Instead Of Walls |
4:04 | |
| 09. | |
I'm On Your Side |
4:00 | |
| 10. | |
That's What Friends Are For |
4:16 | |
| 11. | |
Heaven |
3:36 | |
Find a problem with a track? Please let us know.
11 Total Tracks, 52:17 Total Length
We will send an email to with the tracking ID for this issue.
Before reporting defective tracks, please note that you can re-download all of your tracks without losing credits. Please try to re-download your tracks in case a temporary issue caused your problem. If, after re-downloading your tracks, you are still experiencing issues, report them below.
Note: This form is for reporting defective tracks only.
For all other issues (billing, trouble downloading, etc),
contact Customer Support.
Playlists The Staple Singers appears on these playlists created by eMusic members
Explore music recommended by The Staple Singers fans
Credits
- The Staple Singers - Main Performer // Roebuck "Pops" Staples - ? // Phil DeLancie - Digital Mastering // Mavis Staples - ? // Yvonne Staples - ? // Cleotha Staples - ?
Choose from over 4.5 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs as low as $0.25
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 30 downloads - that's less than $0.40 per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as $0.25 per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2008 All Media Guide, LLC