Album Review: Sad And Beautiful World by Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples is a warrior. A central figure in the Civil Rights movement, at 86 years old Staples' determination and resolve is not in the least bit diminished. Setting age aside, it's not the most conducive time in America to nobly soldier along, but that's what Staples has always done. On Sad and Beautiful World Staples reinterprets 10 songs with writers ranging from the legendary (Leonard Cohen, Curtis Mayfield) to the more modern day (Kevin Morby, Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous).

Full Review >>

Earlier solo records (including projects helmed by Prince and Curtis Mayfield) alongside and after Staples's duties as part of the Staple Singers (a beyond legendary family group who bridged gospel, soul, funk and social commentary) didn't really take off, but Staples has been making up for lost time in more recent years, with a string of unfailingly classy records steered by collaborators such as Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Ben Harper. Sad And Beautiful World suggests that some of Staples's best work is happening right now. At 86, and with an awe-inspiring seven decades in the business under her belt, Staples doesn't so much sing as fully inhabit these ten songs, comprising standards from the borderlands between gospel and soul (1950s sanctified country classic "A Satisfied Mind", a beautifully languid take on Curtis Mayfield's evergreen "We Gotta Have Peace", which remains all too enduringly topical), more contemporary song selections (Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan's hard-strutting "Chicago", the sepia-tinged, dignified defiance of Gillian Welch's rural lament "Hard Times", Mark Linkous's wearily and warily hopeful title track, the end times vibes of Leonard Cohen's quietly majestic "Anthem", Kevin Morby's bittersweet mini-epic of empathy and solidarity "Beautiful Strangers", written in the aftermath of the Le Bataclan terrorist attack in Paris), and a few new tunes written specifically for this album.

Full Review >>