Few singers of Mavis Staples' era have managed to stay as prolific or as relevant; Bettye LaVette comes in a close second, Aretha isn’t even in the race. A pop-gospel lifer who started singing in public when she was barely a teenager, she enjoyed massive success in the '60s and '70s as the mightiest voice in the Staple Singers and as an avatar of post-Civil Rights optimism. Even after a few decades in the wilderness (during which she made a string of fine, yet largely overlooked solo albums, including one produced by Prince), she experienced a resurgence in the new century with a string of albums that updated her message first to the Bush era and next to the age of Obama. She has recorded two (three if you count Pops Staples’ posthumous Don’t Lose This) excellent albums with Jeff Tweedy, one of which—2010’s *You Are Not Alone—*won a Grammy for Best Americana Album. Decades into her storied career, she remains a force to be reckoned with.
Her latest release is a four-song EP with Son Little: two originals and two new versions of songs long associated with the Staple Singers. The man born Aaron Livingston has only a single solo EP to his name, last year’s under-the-radar Things I Forgot, but he is better known for his collaborations with the Roots (that’s him singing on Undun) and RJD2 (the duo record under the name Icebird). Stylistically, he inhabits buffer zones between genres and traditions: a little bit of blues and old-school R&B, but with a strong grounding in hip-hop. Little produced Staples’ latest EP, wrote two of these four songs, and played most of the instruments, and he comes across like a man who can’t quite believe he’s working with someone of Staples’ stature.
"Why did you spend all your good fortune on me?" Mavis sings on the opening track, drawing out that first syllable gravely and letting that final pronoun fade quickly and humbly. The song echoes the gospel sentiments she has been preaching all her life, and the melodic cadence of the verses are perfectly suited to her delivery. Little produces "Your Good Fortune" to gently update or at least comment on the Staples sound: His guitar playing obviously mimics Pops’ signature tone. It’s a powerful performance by both singer and producer, yet ultimately it doesn’t sound like Little wrote it for Mavis. Instead, it sounds like he wrote it to her.
Little wisely keeps the arrangements straightforward, backing Staples with only a few instruments: guitar, bass, looped drums (or drums that sound looped), and a keyboard flourish every once in a while. Instead of spare, however, the songs occasionally sound crowded, as though the music is closing in on Staples. That can be intriguing on "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", a cover of the Staple Singers’ cover of the Blind Lemon Jefferson tune, which conveys the song title's grim finality. "Wish I Had Answered", however, sounds a bit choked, never quite hitting the groove that handclaps and tambourine are meant to suggest.
Pops wrote "Wish I Had Answered" in the 1960s, years before the Staples would reach the peak of their popularity, and Mavis sings his words as though threading a life’s worth of spiritual regret into three minutes. Not only has her voice gained power with age, but her sheer presence, as a living reminder of pop's social conscience, is commanding. She is a living reminder of the idea that musicians have a great responsibility to the world.
That much comes through on Little’s second original, the righteous "Fight", on which Mavis surveys a range of social ills and invites us to help her solve them. She may not be talking specifically about RFRA, income inequality, or Black Lives Matter, but it’s impossible to hear the song in 2015 and not think of these and other pressing issues. "Talking about Jesus but you treat people dead wrong," she declares in that voice that exudes moral authority and spiritual generosity. "Freedom and justice, they ain’t your playthings." Seldom has she sounded so accusing or so scolding, as though she can’t believe she has to keep telling us all to treat each other with respect and dignity. It takes her a bit outside her comfort zone, which is exciting for an artist of any age and makes the promise of a longer collaboration with Son Little sound particularly glorious.
