Sam Phillips famously described Howlin 'Wolf's voice as "where the soul of man never dies." That could just as easily apply to the sound Roebuck "Pops" Staples and his three children made. And it would be perfectly logical, too: as a youngster in Mississippi, before he became a dedicated Christian, Staples hung out and traveled with Wolf and Charley Patton (who also doubled as a minister if the money was good). Transplanted to Chicago, in dire need of money, Staples took his spooky guitar style, rehearsed his daughters Cleotha, Yvonne and Mavis and his son Pervis in some gospel songs, and started hitting the churches. Nobody had ever sounded like that — particularly not like Mavis, whose voice continues to be a marvel on her recent We'll Never Turn Back — and Vee-Jay was lucky enough to be the first to record them. Primal mystery, eerie sounds and solid faith all come through. You've heard some of these songs before, but not like this.