2022 live album by Levon Helm and Mavis Staples
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
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Carry Me Home received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 from eight critic scores.[3] Editors at AnyDecentMusic? characterized critical consensus as a 7.5 out of 10, with eight reviews.[2] 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".[4] 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.[1] 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.[6] For American Songwriter, Lee Zimmerman rated the album a four out of five, writing that it "resonates in a meaningful and mighty way".[5] 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.[7]
