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

News

Mavis Staples To Release EP Produced By Son Little
Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

Mavis Staples To Release EP Produced By Son Little

Soul/gospel legend Mavis Staples is set to release Your Good Fortune, a new four-song EP produced by the acclaimed young cross-genre soul explorer Son Little. The record will arrive in stores on April 21st. The EP coincides with the recent premiere of a full-length documentary on the singer entitled “Mavis!” Listen to the title track care of Pitchfork: http://pitchfork.com/news/58970-mavis-staples-announces-ep-shares-your-good-fortune/

The songs on Your Good Fortune inventively merge Staples’ iconic and soulful voice, renowned as part of The Staple Singers and as a Grammy winning solo artist, with Little’s talent for reconfiguring the sensibilities of genres including soul, hip-hop and heavy rock. The resulting tracks retain every bit of Staples’ emotional delivery, while adding an array of modernist sounds created with the cut and paste methodology of contemporary hip-hop.

"I’m always excited to do new songs,” Mavis says. “And this young man wrote two just for me. Seemed like we were a team made in heaven. He writes from his heart; he's a great singer who sings from his heart, and he reached my heart. I'm so glad we got to work together. The whole experience right down to the finished product was just extraordinary.”

The disc features two original Son Little compositions, “Your Good Fortune” and “Fight,” paired with two reinterpreted classics, the Blind Lemon Jefferson composition “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” (previously recorded by The Staple Singers as “Dying Man’s Plea” in 1962), and the Pops “Roebuck” Staples-penned gospel classic “Wish I Had Answered” first recorded by The Staple Singers in 1963. The Staple Singers 45 RPM release on Riverside Records had as its B-side their take on Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” making them the first African-American artists to record a Dylan song.

The title track of Your Good Fortune revisits the folk gospel of early Staple Singers with assemblage recording, taut minimalist percussions and deep low-end bass. “Fight” references the energetic protest funk of classic seventies Staple Singers with a vocal delivery, at times, so rapid it’s as if Mavis is rapping. Staples’ rendition of “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” features a raw distorted guitar, electronic percussions and Staple’s voice on the verge of breaking. The EP ends with “Wish I Had Answered” which stands out for Mavis’ fiery vocal delivery.

As Son Little says, “Aside from being one of the greatest singers ever, Mavis brings a positive energy unlike anything I've experienced. The thing I'll remember forever about working with Mavis is her voice. Standing in the studio, holding her hand, I watched as each time she began a take. Everyone in the room jumped when we heard her voice. Chills. A metaphysical experience every time.”

The film Mavis!, a full length documentary on the life of Staples directed by Jessica Edwards, recently premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin generating rave reviews from both audiences and press.

Acclaim For The Film Mavis!

“Mavis took the stage afterward (“I’ve cried off all my mascara”) to answer questions from a rapt audience, and then she and guitarist Rick Holmstrom closed with a riveting version of “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.” At 75, Staples is not slowing down.“ - Austin Chronicle

“Taking in the Sunday-morning screening was akin to going to church, as viewers applauded some of the filmed performances, nodded their heads to the music and rose for a standing ovation at the end.” - NY Times

“It was a surreal, rare privilege to be able to watch the world premiere of Mavis!, the documentary about the inimitably significant career of 75-year-old soul legend Mavis Staples.” - The Nerdist

“First-time doc director Edwards set spirits soaring at SXSW with “Mavis!,” a celebration of the life and music of living legend Mavis Staples. Artfully entwining archival material, newly filmed interviews and live performances, she fashions a fascinating in-depth portrait sprinkled with amusing revelations – Mavis indicates that, during their salad days as entertainers, she and Bob Dylan were more than good friends – and rich with historic detail. Mavis remains an electrifying force of nature, and it is very much to Edwards’ credit that “Mavis!” is a cinematic biography worthy of its iconic subject. “ - Variety

Browse by Artist

2116All 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 33Tim Fite 33DeVotchKa 31Islands 31Grinderman 29Glen Hansard 28Saintseneca 27Galactic 27Delicate Steve 27Wilco 26Andy Shauf 25The Drums 24Xenia Rubinos 24Michael Franti and Spe... 22Bob Mould 22Doe Paoro 22William Elliott Whitmo... 21Nick Cave & The Bad Se... 21The Frames 20Joe Henry 20Christopher Paul Stell... 19Cass McCombs 19Sage Francis 19Yves Jarvis 19Booker T. Jones 18Calexico 18Deafheaven 18Gary V 17Yann Tiersen 17John K. Samson 16The Antlers 16Jason Lytle 16Danny Elfman 16Ramblin Jack Elliott 14Madi Diaz 14Jeremy Ivey 14Half Waif 14Daniel Lanois 13Billy Bragg 13The Dream Syndicate 12Combo Chimbita 12Peter Silberman 12Leyla McCalla 12Girlpool 12Xavier Rudd 11Lido Pimienta 11Mose Allison 11Japandroids 11Lyrics Born 11Rain Machine 11Purr 11The Weakerthans 11Jade Jackson 11Ryan Pollie 11Glitterer 11Roky Erickson 10Moor Mother 10The Melodic 10Christian Lee Hutson 10The Swell Season 10So Much Light 10Alfa Mist 10Curtis Harding 10High Pulp 10Darrin Bradbury 9Marianne Faithfull 9Josiah Johnson 9Hey, King! 9Wynonna 9M. Ward 9Cameron Avery 9N.A.S.A. 8Kate Davis 8Katy Kirby 8Slow Pulp 8Solillaquists of Sound 8James Brandon Lewis 8Cadence Weapon 8The Coup 8Rafiq Bhatia 8Greg Graffin 7Beth Orton 7Kelly Hogan 7Title Fight 7Eddie Izzard 7Ben Harper 7Dead Man's Bones 7Alec Ounsworth 7Ben Harper and Charlie... 7Richard Reed Parry 7Elliott Smith 6Bonny Doon 6Deradoorian 6Os Mutantes 6Waxahatchee 6Kate Bush 6Busdriver 6MJ Lenderman 6Broken Twin 6A Girl Called Eddy 5Ezra Furman 5One Day As A Lion 5Beat Connection 5Sam Akpro 5Art Moore 5Jasmyn 5Kristine Leschper 5Keaton Henson 5The Field 5Foxwarren 5Scott McMicken and THE... 5The Tallest Man On Ear... 4Marketa Irglova 4Pops Staples 4Ersi Arvizu 4Jackson+Sellers 4sunking 4The Good Ones 4Sparklehorse 3Mothers 3Petra Haden 3Plains 3Danny Cohen 3Mavis Staples & Levon... 3Sierra Leones Refugee... 3Walter Wolfman Washing... 3Marc Ribot 2Fleet Foxes 2Jeff Tweedy 2ANTI- Records 2Various Artists: RANGO 1Solomon Burke 1case/lang/veirs 1Merle Haggard 1Youth Group 1Blackalicious 1Taylor Vick 1The Beths 1Lightman Jarvis Ecstat... 1Simian Mobile Disco 1Porter Wagoner 1Rogue's Gallery 1Antibalas 1Various Artists: ROGUE... 1Kronos Quartet with Br... 1Joe Strummer And The M... 1Tricky 1The Locust
See Full List+