Record Review

Candi Staton

Album: “It’s Time to Be Free”

Grade: B

Candi Staton blends gospel themes and messages of redemption and caution with dance music, funk and soul on “It’s Time to Be Free,” revisiting earlier hits and perhaps creating new ones. Staton, whose career since the early 1950s has ranged from gospel to R&B to disco and back, takes a spiritual approach on the songs, near all her own, with mostly upbeat arrangements.

Based on the first couple of tracks — “Shout Out, Hallelujah” and “You Got the Love,” a new version of an old hit which had already undergone several transformations — you may get the impression that Staton is solely targeting the dance floor, but the mechanical beats hardly show up the rest of the way. Instead, while the lyrics reflect higher inspirations and aspirations, the music stays simple and sweet, with piano, horns, soulful backing vocals.

—Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press