Grim days call for fierce love, and Mavis Staples — one of the most enduring figures in American music — is laying it down. Coming out November 7, ‘Sad And Beautiful World‘is the latest solo album from a national treasure and multigenerational talent. On her new record, Mavis stands side by side with us in the face of dangers she knows all too well, at a time when more and more people have reason to wonder who and what could be lost.
Produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee, Nathaniel Rateliff), ‘Sad And Beautiful World’ spans seven decades of the American songbook — a range nearly as vast as Mavis’ career — and includes reinventions of timeless songs as well as original music. It also includes cameos by artists who have become part of Mavis’ world, many of whom are legends in their own right: Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy, Derek Trucks, Katie Crutchfield, MJ Lenderman, Justin Vernon and others shine a light on her while Mavis does what only she can do. Embracing vulnerability, she sings close and deep here, drawing the listener into a circle filled with her unforgettable presence.
Out today is her rendition of Kevin Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers”, where she reminds those in danger: “If you ever hear the gunshot… think of mother / I am a rock.” Listen to it below.