Wilco's Jeff Tweedy Produces Gospel Legend Mavis Staples' New Album

Gospel and soul legend Mavis Staples can add a new name to her already lengthy list of collaborators (Prince, Bob Dylan, Curtis Mayfield to name but a few) after finishing work on a new album with Jeff Tweedy.

Entitled 'You Are Not Alone', the Wilco frontman produced the record at his band's Chicago studio and also found time to write three new songs, including the title track.

The idea to work together originally came about in 2007. Staples told Pitchfork. "My manager told me back in '07 that Jeff Tweedy wanted to come down and do a song with me. I said that's cool, but actually he didn't make it that time. He was just coming in from tour and he wanted to rest and be with his son."

A year later however the wheels were set in motion when Tweedy made the offer to produce Staples' next album, an offer the 70-year-old singer was happy to accept.

Apart from having to brave the elements to record vocals in an acoustically pleasing but particularly cold corridor of Wilco's Loft studio space, Staples obviously relished working with Tweedy. "Jeff wrote three new songs right there in the studio. I'd just watch him write, watch him get on the guitar and put them together, 'cause it's amazin'."

Alongside Tweedy's new material and versions of songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Allen Toussaint and Randy Newman, a few Staple Singers tracks -- the group Mavis and her sisters sang in as teenagers with father Roebuck "Pops" Staples -- have also made their way onto the album.

Speaking of Tweedy, Staples said, "He was just so up on what I do. He was so into the Staples, and he loved Pops. He had all of our songs from the '50s and '60s on his iPod. It surprised me."

'You Are Not Alone' is released Sept. 14 on Anti-Records.