Candi Staton

“I love you all! You’re beautiful!” cried Candi Staton at Triptych ’05: it was her first-ever live appearance in Scotland, and a rapturous performance from one of popular music’s brightest stars.

Staton’s divine alliance of raw sensuality, husky blues and heartbreaking ardour has reigned for over 40 years. A former gospel singer who toured with Aretha, before taking disco by storm with the irrepressible “Young Hearts Run Free”, Staton’s ecstatic soul catalogue was chronicled by Honest Jons in 2004; and her indie credentials recently soared thanks to ‘His Hands’ (2006) – a celestial collection of country, blues and R&B whose collaborators included Will Oldham, and Lambchop’s Mark Nevers. Her timeless union with the Source, meanwhile – on the euphoric “You Got The Love”, remains a devastating dance-floor classic.

To celebrate our final fling, the much-loved Staton’s return sojourn will guarantee a roof-raising, breathtaking – and very possibly tear-jerking – farewell from Triptych.