by Bill CarpenterRecorded in Louisiana, not terribly far from Mahalia Jackson's birthplace, this is a 13-song tribute to the legendary Queen of Gospel. Staples leads all the tracks with Lucky Peterson on the Hammond B-3 organ. This is a very bare-bones set, and after the fourth song, If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again, the format becomes boring and the songs begin to sound similar. There's nothing unique about these arrangements: Peterson's riffs are fun the first couple of times but quickly grow repetitive, and the choice of songs is decidedly depressing --- Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot -- and although Staples sings them with zeal, the overall package lacks the flair, creativity and sense of celebration such a project should connote.