Sign up for our mailing list Real artists creating records on their own terms
Close

Sign up for our mailing list

News

Mavis Staples' New Album Out Now
Friday, February 19th, 2016

Mavis Staples' New Album Out Now

It’s an electrifying time for Mavis Staples. Her much anticipated new album Livin' On A High Note has just been released to critical raves, she picked up her second Grammy Award earlier this week and a feature-length documentary on her life is poised to premiere on HBO on February 29.

The New York Times recently called Staples’ late-career creative output an “extraordinary productive streak” that reaffirms her “lifelong messages — faith, family, freedom, honesty, perseverance — as she both reaches back to the sound of the Staple Singers and tries some new twists.” Rolling Stone writes, “Staples says she's entering a new chapter. The proof comes in the form of High Note. While the material on Livin' on a High Note draws on the personal and spiritual, there are a few tracks that harken back to the Staple Singers' protest songs.”

In the last few weeks Staples has been profiled by The New Yorker, The Chicago Tribune, Guardian, USA Today, Playboy, Newsweek, Paste, The Wall St. Journal and many more, all heralding a mix of spirituality, musicality and vitality that makes Staples a unique and transcendent figure in American music.

On the M. Ward-produced Livin' on a High Note, Staples performs an assortment of songs written for just for her by some of today’s greatest songwriters including Nick Cave, Justin Vernon, Neko Case, Ben Harper, Tune-Yards, Benjamin Booker, Aloe Blacc and others. As Newsweek writes, “she always followed the lead of her musician father, Pops, in her long career by staying open to change.”

“I’ve been singing my freedom songs and I wanted to stretch out and sing some songs that were new,” says Mavis. “I told the writers I was looking for some joyful songs. I want to leave something to lift people up.”

Early Acclaim For Livin’ On A High Note

"It takes some chances while bringing out the pleasure and righteousness of her singing.” - New York Times

"Mavis Staples takes her comeback higher still here.” - Rolling Stone

“Her voice has lost none of its ecstatic expressiveness…She can still swing low into a baritone range, and she can still soar into a churchly higher register. But really it’s the way she shapes her words that makes these songs so distinctive: The way she fawns over a word like "darling" makes you want to wrap the syllables around you like a warm blanket.” - Pitchfork

“This fine album reached way beyond the church” - Q

"After more than six decades in the spotlight, Mavis Staples is still one of music’s most soul-stirring voices.” - Garden and Gun

“The album feels stunningly fresh and cutting edge; expect to see it on some Top Ten lists later this year.” Boston Globe

Browse by Artist

2102All Artists 100Tom Waits 74Mavis Staples 59Neko Case 51Lost In The Trees 50Sean Rowe 48Dr. Dog 45The Milk Carton Kids
41Jolie Holland 40Bettye LaVette 37Man Man 36Son Little 35Tinariwen 33DeVotchKa 33Tim Fite 31Islands 31Grinderman 29Glen Hansard 28Saintseneca 27Galactic 27Wilco 27Delicate Steve 26Andy Shauf 25The Drums 24Michael Franti and Spe... 24Xenia Rubinos 22William Elliott Whitmo... 22Doe Paoro 22Bob Mould 21The Frames 21Nick Cave & The Bad Se... 20Joe Henry 20Christopher Paul Stell... 19Yves Jarvis 19Cass McCombs 19Booker T. Jones 19Sage Francis 18Gary V 18Deafheaven 18Calexico 17Yann Tiersen 17John K. Samson 16Jason Lytle 16The Antlers 16Danny Elfman 16Ramblin Jack Elliott 14Daniel Lanois 14Madi Diaz 14Jeremy Ivey 13Half Waif 13The Dream Syndicate 13Billy Bragg 12Leyla McCalla 12Girlpool 12Combo Chimbita 12Xavier Rudd 12Peter Silberman 11Mose Allison 11Lyrics Born 11Rain Machine 11Ryan Pollie 11Japandroids 11Roky Erickson 11Purr 11The Weakerthans 11Glitterer 11Jade Jackson 10High Pulp 10The Swell Season 10Darrin Bradbury 10Moor Mother 10Christian Lee Hutson 10So Much Light 10The Melodic 10Alfa Mist 9Hey, King! 9Curtis Harding 9Marianne Faithfull 9Wynonna 9Josiah Johnson 9M. Ward 9Cameron Avery 9N.A.S.A. 9Lido Pimienta 8Katy Kirby 8Greg Graffin 8Kate Davis 8Slow Pulp 8The Coup 8Solillaquists of Sound 8Cadence Weapon 7Kelly Hogan 7Ben Harper 7Title Fight 7Dead Man's Bones 7Ben Harper and Charlie... 7Alec Ounsworth 7Richard Reed Parry 7Beth Orton 7Eddie Izzard 7Elliott Smith 6Broken Twin 6Rafiq Bhatia 6Busdriver 6Deradoorian 6A Girl Called Eddy 6MJ Lenderman 6Kate Bush 6Bonny Doon 6Os Mutantes 5Foxwarren 5Kristine Leschper 5One Day As A Lion 5Ezra Furman 5The Tallest Man On Ear... 5Scott McMicken and THE... 5Beat Connection 5James Brandon Lewis 5Jasmyn 5Keaton Henson 5Art Moore 5The Field 4Ersi Arvizu 4The Good Ones 4Sparklehorse 4Pops Staples 4Waxahatchee 4Marketa Irglova 4sunking 4Jackson+Sellers 3Walter Wolfman Washing... 3Plains 3Marc Ribot 3Mothers 3Danny Cohen 3Sam Akpro 3Petra Haden 3Sierra Leones Refugee... 3Mavis Staples & Levon... 2Fleet Foxes 2Various Artists: RANGO 2ANTI- Records 2Jeff Tweedy 1Various Artists: ROGUE... 1Rogue's Gallery 1Antibalas 1Simian Mobile Disco 1Porter Wagoner 1Blackalicious 1Lightman Jarvis Ecstat... 1Joe Strummer And The M... 1Solomon Burke 1Youth Group 1Merle Haggard 1case/lang/veirs 1The Locust 1Taylor Vick 1Tricky 1Kronos Quartet with Br...
See Full List+