Soul music legend Candi Staton, 85, has received her first Grammy® Award nomination in four decades for her 32nd studio album, Back to My Roots (Beracah Records / New Day / The Orchard), released on Valentine's Day 2025. The project is nominated for Best Roots Gospel Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, to be held Sunday, February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA, broadcasting live on CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.
A richly textured, twelve-track Americana soul collection of spiritual and inspirational songs, Back to My Roots blends Staton-penned originals with thoughtfully chosen covers, including The Rolling Stones' 1972 classic "Shine A Light" and retro-soul favorite "My God Has a Telephone," performed as a duet with STAX Records legend William Bell. The album's nomination places Staton alongside fellow nominees The Isaacs, Gaither Vocal Band, Karen Peck & New River, and Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
"I'm so surprised," Staton says. "I know it's a cliché, but it's always nice just to be nominated. I was nominated before and a couple of times I was always up against Aretha Franklin-who I love-but she dominated that era. I'm proud of this album, and at this stage of my life, I hope I can finally bring one home before I leave this earth."
Critical response has been equally strong. UK tastemaker MOJO ranked Back to My Roots No. 2 on its year-end Top Ten Soul Albums list-alongside releases by Mavis Staples, Leon Bridges, and Joy Crookes-while the album landed at No. 27 on the NACC Top 50 R&B/Soul records of 2025.
Standout tracks include "I Missed the Target Again," a deeply personal reflection on Staton's recent divorce featuring guitarist Jonathan DuBose Jr., which has received airplay on SiriusXM Bluesville and other blues outlets. Her older sister Maggie Staton Peebles, a fellow member of the Jewel Gospel Trio in the 1950s, appears on the traditional "It's Gonna Rain" and the Thomas Dorsey standard "There Will Be Peace in the Valley," famously popularized by Elvis Presley.
Recorded in London with Staton's British band PUSH, the album features a Muscle Shoals-styled take on "Shine A Light." The haunting "1963" recounts Staton's first-hand memory of the September 15, 1963 Birmingham church bombing, while "Reach Down and Touch Heaven" finds her at the piano, offering a prayerful plea for divine intervention in a weary world. Additional highlights include the Motown-inspired "Love Breakthrough" and the southern soul stomp "My God Has a Telephone," pairing Staton with William Bell. The album closes with "In God's Hands We Rest Untroubled," originally recorded by late country artist Lari White.
"These songs represent my roots," Staton reflects. "Even the new songs represent something I've experienced-and that's what real soul music is about."
Back to My Roots was produced by Staton alongside her son Marcus Williams, with additional production touches from Mark Nevers of Lambchop. The album title, Staton says, reflects a lifelong journey back to the gospel, soul, and lived faith that shaped her from childhood.
