Album Review: Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black

Every offering from Mavis Staples is a gem and this is another fine example.

From opener Little Bit, a sizzling protest song about the victimisation of young black men, there's a combination of style and substance that is increasingly rare these days. Cowritten and produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy (a partnership now three albums in), Staples sounds both timeless and fresh. The title track is an upbeat push towards acceptance - catchy and optimistic - and mostly this is the approach the rest of the album takes.

Tweedy's alt-country influence is in there, too - No Time For Crying with its gently weeping guitar is still somehow uplifting, and We Go High uses a similar instrumental bed and build. A little more grit makes it into Try Harder (and there are fewer euphemisms as Staples sings, "There's evil in the world"), but, again, there's something so accomplished and assuring about Staples' sheer experience and talent, which makes the track undeniable and very repeatable.

There's no question that age is more than just a number for Mavis Staples - more experience, more talent (somehow) and more steam. A masterclass of a protest album.