★★★½
“Mavis Staples’ back,” announce the backing vocals repeatedly in hushed, gentle tones. It’s a soothing, if not slightly obvious, start to an album anchored in such an illustrious career.
The beauty of Staples’ latest release is that despite the plethora of songwriters enlisted to piece together this body of work, including the likes of Justin Vernon, Benjamin Booker, Aloe Blacc, Valerie June and Nick Cave, the unity between its tracks feels completely genuine. The whole record is a laden with bluesy guitars, intermittent percussion and the raspy gospel lead vocals that are a mainstay across Staples’ career.
Yet fourth track ‘Action’ is the first point where we hear the momentum build. Aside from this and the climbing instrumentation on sixth track ‘Don’t Cry’, the whole album again sinks back into the same glacial pace.
Stand-out songs include the beautifully reflective ‘Dedicated’ and the driving, sassy nature of ‘One Love’, with its far-off percussion and take-no-prisoners attitude. The swagger of acoustic closer ‘MLK Song’ is another high point, honouring Martin Luther King within a breathy and intimate sonic gem.
Though the power in her voice is undoubtedly starting to waver with age, this collection is still a true Mavis Staples album for the fans.
