Love Lifted Me

Released in 1987, Love Lifted Me marks a pivotal transition in Candi Staton's career, signaling her move away from secular R&B and disco toward a dedicated focus on gospel music. While she had achieved massive success with hits like 'Young Hearts Run Free,' this album saw her returning to the church-reared vocal style of her childhood in the Jewel Gospel Trio. Recorded with the high-fidelity standards of the late 80s, the album features a mix of traditional hymns and contemporary spiritual compositions. The arrangements often lean into the 'Muscle Shoals' soul sound she helped define, utilizing tight rhythm sections and soulful horn stabs. Critically, the album is noted for its lack of compromise; Staton does not soften her gritty, bluesy edge for the gospel format, instead using it to add a layer of lived-in experience to the lyrics. It stands as one of her most cohesive spiritual works, bridging the gap between her soul-star persona and her devotional identity.