Apart from hip-hop and the occasional rock or country song, these times of protest and divisiveness lack the musical voices of the Civil Rights or anti-Vietnam War movements of the ‘60s. No longer do we hear the power of those classic songs such as “We Shall Overcome,” “I Shall Not Be Moved,” Respect Yourself,” and so many others. Mavis Staples, one of the only remaining voices of that era, is still with us. Mavis, now considered the godmother of roots music, is 86. Her voice understandably lacks the power it once had, yet there is conviction and earned wisdom in every word she sings. But it’s not fair to expect her to lead the charge anymore.
Producer Brad Cook realizes this and instead gathers a multitude of musicians from veterans such as Buddy Guy, Eric Burton, and Bonnie Raitt to the newer generation with the likes of MJ Lenderman, Justin Vernon, and countless others who are likely thrilled to be in Mavis’s company. It’s a major call for unity, as if all are gathered under that proverbial big gospel tent. Yet, they come together not to raise their voices so much as to reflect on these times.
Cook’s vision is akin to the assemblage of talent on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 Will the Circle Be Unbroken. Arguably, Cook could have achieved the same effect by recording Mavis with her core band, but having so many musicians present speaks to the concept of unity. Cook does a great job of keeping the focus on Mavis. None of the guest spots are intrusive. In fact, it’s only the slide guitar parts from Bonnie Raitt or Derek Trucks that are attention-getting. The overall effect is that of Mavis, a living saint and the voice of empathy, leading the hushed gathering in prayer, best evidenced in her take on Curtis Mayfield’s “We Got To Have Peace.”
The songbook is diverse with writers such as Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Curtis Mayfield, and Gillian Welch. They are songs of hope and reflection, well short of rebellion and resistance. There’s cautious optimism in “Human Mind,” written for and about Mavis by Hozier and Allison Russell. Mavis sings “I find good in it sometimes” when addressing humanity, the accent clearly on “sometimes.” One of Mavis’s most potent vocals is in “Chicago,” by Tom Waits. She’s reflecting on the Great Migration north, one that she shares with Buddy Guy, who shares guitar with Trucks on the song. Her people were dreaming of a better future then just as we are now, but the message is that it doesn’t come without struggle. The choice of that as the opening song likely is not by mere chance, given the current presence of troops in Chicago.
In that vein, some songs make direct calls for resilience. Mavis sings “we’re gonna make it yet” in Gillian Welch’s “Hard Times.” Her many pleas for peace should be understood in the context of peaceful, joyous protests. She more than subtly indicates that peace does not imply submission in Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem.”
She also clearly understands her ‘godmother’ role. She urges us to find even the slightest hope in the funereal title track, written by Mark Linkous (a.k.a. Sparklehorse). On Kevin Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers,” she reminds those facing danger – “if you ever hear the gunshot…think of mother/I am a rock.” In Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed,” which, to these ears, is muddled by the recitation of the poem inside the song, she states that we will encounter mountains that we can’t move but that she will always be there for us.
Mavis turns somewhat autobiographical in the Porter Wagoner-associated “Satisfied Mind,” reflecting on her life well lived, the spirit she has imparted. Yet, she turns to another writer from the ‘60s, Eddie Hinton, in “Everybody Needs Love” with a multi-generational background chorus of Bonnie Raitt, Patterson Hood, Katie Cruchfield, and Nathaniel Rateliff. Therein, maybe we’ve found the needed rallying song for our times after all.
