Political Funky Friday: Mavis Staples

Posted almost 5 years ago

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Mavis Staples

Picked up the new Mavis Staples CD, "We'll Never Turn Back," the other day - expected to like it a lot, am currently totally loving it. Her voice and phrasing are still among the marvels of popular music, but what makes this set special are the songs - all associated with the civil rights stuggles of the Sixties, in which her family's gospel group, the Staple Singers, played a pivotal role - and the production by Ry Cooder. What an inspired pairing of talents! Also, Cooder reunites with some of his old cronies like Jim Keltner, who tends to be mysteriously forgotten in discussions about the greatest rock drummers. Vocals aside, this sounds more like a "traditional" Ry Cooder record than anything he has done in years. That too is a good thing.This song is pretty representative of the swampy, magisterially funky nature of the album as a whole. Gotta warn you, though - the archival footage will make you angry as hell. As it should.

Comments (15)

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mickimicki says Ouch. Her voice, the song, the music, the video... deep!

Permalink posted 05/04/2007
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Cody B says I just got this one, too, Ivy. Haven't given it a proper listen, but your take on it will have me going back soon. My wife, on the other hand, is all over it, demanding an immeadiate upload to her ipod of the entire record. Also purchased at fab New Jersey indie store Vintage Vinyl: Lonely Avenue, The Unlikely Life and Times of Doc Pomus. Have a splendid weekend.

Permalink posted 05/04/2007
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ivylander says You're in for a treat, Cody. Bon weekend to you, too.

Permalink posted 05/04/2007
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Rawkkiddoh says Might have to be on the look out for this, two thumbs up never hurt anyone

Permalink posted 05/04/2007
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bubb says Ry Cooder's a great Producer too. Cool post!

Permalink posted 05/04/2007
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chucky says That song was sweet. That video was just disturbing.

Permalink posted 05/04/2007
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soulrocket says Agree with chucky on the disturbing video, it almost made me cry. The list of things we humans can do in the name of Ignorance seems to be endless. the song was very touching.

Permalink posted 05/04/2007
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ivylander says Many of us who grew up as white suburban kids don't realize that this stuff really happened in our country, and not that long ago. However, there are some people in my life who have been through this stuff, and remember what it's like not to be able to drink at the same water fountains as white people. I know someone who used to travel from New York to Virginia every summer to visit family, and once they got south of Pennsylvania, the landscape changed rather drastically. There was a Howard Johnson's in Salisbury, Maryland where the family used to stop because it was one of the few places they could buy a meal. Even at that, the father had to go around the back to get the food and the family would eat in the car. And when my mother died a couple of years ago, my uncle told me a story - about how in the late 40s, when she was in college, my mom brought a black male friend (not romantic, just a classmate) home for dinner in her small West Virginian town. My grandparents gladly welcomed him into the house, but there were people in town who wouldn't speak to our family for years afterward. This kind of shit is, to me, pretty much the definition of "un-American."

Permalink posted 05/05/2007
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tybees says Great song...and yeah, that video made me angry. It makes me wonder if there are things that we do now in this country, things that we accept as commonplace, that will look just as awful as that video when we look back.

Permalink posted 05/05/2007
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Spike says Great video, and song. I can't wait to hear the rest of the CD. I always figured Mavis's best recordings were back in the VeeJay label Staple Singers days, but boy have I now realized that is so not true.

Permalink posted 05/09/2007
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ivylander says Spike, I love those VeeJay records, too. "I'm Coming Home" is a track I especially love.

Permalink posted 05/09/2007
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Spike says I just realized I don't have that track (whose internet snippet sounds wonderful) plus many of their other VeeJay tracks, but I found a CD on Amazon that solves that problem. "Pray On" and "Good News" are tracks I especially love.

Permalink posted 05/09/2007
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mousetrap says F---in' bastards. That's all I can think as I watch that. What the hell was going through people's heads when they engaged in such subhuman conduct? I realize that in their inherited, long-held, twisted belief system it was the "others" who were less than human, but could they really get close enough to a person to beat his head in and not feel some pang of guilt somewhere, even deep down? Never mind...rhetorical question. Moving on to happier things, I'm really pleased to see you calling attention to Jim Keltner's incredible drumming. You're right - the guy is just downright amazing, and one look at his discography makes it clear how astoundingly versatile he is. For me he's the epitomy of playing loose, yet keeping it tight. This track illustrates that quality beautifully. Among _many_ other places, it can also be heard on Little Village's self-titled CD, the only release from the ridiculously talented group that was Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner, Nick Lowe and John Hiatt.

Permalink posted 05/27/2007
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Spike says Don't you love that Little Village song "Do You Want My Job?"

Permalink posted 05/27/2007
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mousetrap says Yes, yes, *YES!!!* [ahem] Excellent song. I particularly love those richly-harmonized, lower-register backing vocals - "do you want....do you want." In fact, you've reminded me that I meant to nominate that song for dermahrk's "*Work Songs post*":http://mog.com/dermahrk/blog_post/76177 of several days ago. It would fit in perfectly. The whole album is amazing, of course. I love that they named the band after Sonny Boy Williamson's famous rant, and then even included an excerpt from it in that last song - _another_ working song!

Permalink posted 05/27/2007