Mavis Staples Releases 15th Studio Album
Grammy Award–winning gospel legend Mavis Staples returns with her 15th studio album, a rhythm-and-blues masterpiece produced by M. Ward, featuring songs tailor-made for the majestic soul diva. Staples’s illustrious career has spanned more than 65 years — from her debut as a young girl in The Staple Singers in 1950 through her family’s deep friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (as evinced on the classics “Long Walk to D.C.” and “When Will We Be Paid?”) to sublime solo albums, including two produced by the late, great Prince. Merrill Garbus’s funky “Action,” Ben Harper’s bluesy “Love and Trust,” Aaron Livingston’s irie “One Love,” and “MLK Song” stand out on an album as warm, joyful, and life-affirming as the wise woman herself. (Mavis Staples will open for Bob Dylan on Saturday, June 11, at the S.B. Bowl.)