Mavis Staples – Livin’ On a High Note

This lady is a roots music veteran whose career has once again been on the up as she has been working with Jeff Tweedy as a producer lately. This time she changes it up again though she continues with modern day artists. The likes of Ben Harper, Aloe Blacc, Neko Case and Nick Cave all have written songs for her to record on Livin’ On a High Note. All have been influenced by or have worked within the roots genre so none are out of their element. Plus they have that no-nonsense and still vibrant voice of Mavis Staples to rely on. As a whole the album has an old school blues feel to it with a variance of sounds like gospel and country added in the mix. It is also a very positive album even when addressing such subjects as #BlackLivesMatter, peace and civil rights. High points include “Don’t Cry”, “MLK Song” and “Take Us Back”.