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CANDI STATON His Hands Honest Jon's ****

When the Honest Jon's label tapped Candi Staton's southern soul back-pages for an acclaimed retrospective last year, it also proved the starting point for His Hands. Mind you, it took some persuading to get Staton to return to her roots to record new songs in the old style, especially as cheaters and heartbreakers had little in common with her gig for the past two decades as a minister on a Christian TV channel. Under the direction of Lambchop cohort Mark Nevers, however, His Hands is a showcase for a veteran voice that has lost none of its bittersweet potency over the years, and for a sound that still possesses panache aplenty. When Hearts Grow Cold and In Name Only are perfectly measured and assured, but it's the title track that will knock you for six. Penned for Staton by Will "Bonnie Prince Billie" Oldham after he saw Staton preaching on television, it has the scale and poignancy of the very best soul epics.

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Jim Carroll