Mavis Staples Sad and Beautiful World
I feel like, even if we don’t always deserve Mavis Staples, we need her. She’s been singing for over seven decades, traveled as a performer during the Jim Crow era and helped soundtrack the Civil Rights movement, and has now become an elder stateswoman in rock, soul and gospel. But, even at age 86, her work’s not done, and she knows it. Her latest album, the perfectly titled Sad and Beautiful World, finds Mavis speaking through the words of some of our best current and historical songwriters, not sugarcoating a damn thing about the backward mess we somehow find ourselves in, but still sharing the hopes of those younger generations.
Sad and Beautiful World leads off with the Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan-penned “Chicago.” Their ode to the Windy City becomes the story of the Staples family’s migration north when Mavis sings it – “What we need the lord will give us/All we want we carry with us.” Her voice – grittier than it’s ever been, but still just as beautiful – is backed by a chugging sax line from Matt Douglas and slide guitar from Derek Trucks, along with guitar from Buddy Guy, who also made that journey from the South to (relative) safety. As much as “Chicago” surges forward, the next track, Kevin Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers,” meanders just enough to let the listener ponder the troubles we’ve yet to solve. The song, along with subtle guitar from MJ Lenderman and Rick Holmstrom, racks up the human-made disasters, from police violence – “And if I die too young for something I ain’t done” – and the death of Freddie Gray, to the Pulse nightclub shooting – “Can’t stand the coppers up in their choppers/Flying overhead, 49 dead” – that show the worst of us. But Mavis softens the blow by adding a dash of hope – “If I die too young, let all that I’ve done be remembered/And I’ll sleep easy like baby Jesus in his manger.”
As you’ve noticed, the roster of guest contributors on Sad and Beautiful World is beyond stellar. Producer Brad Cook has the contact list to assemble an Avengers-level list of Americana and indie aces, but far more importantly, he knows just where to place them – no one on this record is showing off. This includes the players – Twin Peaks pedal steel player Colin Croom contributes some beautiful lines, especially in the aching Mark Linkous-penned title track – and the songwriters; Hozier and Allison Russell contributed the original tune “Human Mind.” Written especially for this project, the pensive, bluesy song not only expresses a measure of hope for our near-broken world – “I find good in it sometimes” – but references the role that the Staples Singers had (and Mavis continues to play) in fighting for equality – “I am the last, Daddy, the last of us.” That gumption and guarded optimism weave in and out through the entire record until finding a home toward the end. “Satisfied Mind,” a country song written in the 1950s and made famous by Porter Wagoner, finds gorgeous new life in 2025 by placing a renewed faith in human thought – “The wealthiest person is a pauper at times compared to the man with a satisfied mind.” In the end, knowledge, experience, and a life well lived outweigh money moldering in the bank. That’s the lesson that comes across most plainly on Sad and Beautiful World – maybe even more important than the music (and the music is amazing) is what we can learn through Mavis. We aren’t seeing anything she hasn’t lived several times over, and she’s still here, asking us to do better. Listen, and then go do it.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Sad and Beautiful World” – penned by the late Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse), this sometimes dirge, sometimes hymn-like tune pulls no punches on our failings – “Sometimes days go speeding past/Sometimes this one seems like the last.” But the beauty is still there, both in the title and in Mavis’ warmth, a flicker of faith in this mean ol’ world.
Sad and Beautiful World was produced by Brad Cook, engineered by Cook and Paul Voran, mixed by Cook, Voran and Chris Shaw and mastered by Tim Smiley. Musicians on the album include Mavis Staples (lead vocals), Sam Beam (background vocals), Phil Cook (acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar, Wurlitzer, organ), Rick Holmstrom (electric guitar), Buddy Guy (electric guitar), Derek Trucks (slide guitar), Brad Cook (synth bass, drum programming, vibraphone, acoustic guitar, bass, synths, tambourine), Matt McCaughan (drums, percussion, OP-1 bass, drum programming, synth), Matt Douglas (saxophone), Nathaniel Rateliff (background vocals), Tre Burt (harmony vocals), Nathan Stocker (acoustic guitar, synth), MJ Lenderman (electric guitar, background vocals, drums, acoustic guitar), Amy Ray (background vocals), Colin Croom (pedal steel), Anjimile (background vocals), Kara Jackson (background vocals), Katie Crutchfield (background vocals), Jeff Tweedy (bass), Nathan Stocker (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Will Miller (EVI bass synth), Will Miller (trumpet), Trever Hagen (trumpet), Eric Burton (harmony vocals), Andrew Marlin (mandolin), Justin Vernon (background vocals), Spencer Tweedy (drums), Bonnie Raitt (background vocals, slide guitar), Patterson Hood (background vocals) and Andy Kaulkin (piano).
Go here to order Sad and Beautiful World (out November 7): https://stores.portmerch.com/mavisstaples/
Check out tour dates here: https://mavisstaples.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Mavis Staples & Levon Helm “Carry Me Home”
