Page 54 - BiTS_12_DECEMBER_2025

Mavis Staples—Sad and Beautiful World—Anti
Records ASIN : B0FNS4NZDJ

Okay, Mavis has never been an actual blues singer but

listen to her on the opening track, Tom Waits’ ‘Chicago’
– she completely nails the track and transforms it from
Waits’ own jarring dirge into a yearning story of blacks

leaving the south for Chicago and other northern cities
– just like the Staples themselves did and also Buddy Guy
who plays guitar on the track along with Derek Trucks.

‘Beautiful Strangers’ and the title track are more delicate,
thoughtful songs, as is ‘Human Kind’ a song specially written for the album by Hozier
and Allison Russell. The album was produced by Brad Cook (Nathaniel Rateliff, Iron

& Wine, Bon Ivor etc.) and features nearly 30 carefully chosen musicians (including
some of Mavis’s former associates like Jeff Tweedy and Rick Holmstrom) and with
many backing singers including Bonnie Raitt, Eric Burdon, Nathaniel Rateliff.

‘Hard Times’ is a beautiful, heart-breaking Gillian Welch/David Rawlings song (with
more stunning slide from Mr. Trucks) and ‘Godspeed’ by Frank Ocean is similar, again
with Mavis’ compelling, heartfelt singing. Curtis Mayfield’s ‘We Got to Have Peace’

is a classic Staple Singers-style gospel track with nice mandolin from Andrew Marlin
and Leonard Cohen’s ‘Anthem’ also takes up the theme of peace and an end to war.
Red Hayes’ ‘Satisfied Mind’ is a much-covered country classic but Mavis transforms

it into a touching gospel anthem with pedal steel but also restrained brass and we
say goodbye with Eddie Hinton’s soul song ‘Everybody Needs Love’ with Bonnie Raitt
joining Mavis on vocals and also adding her slide guitar. There is some great playing

here and also subtle production but the standout element on every track is Mavis’s
voice – not as strong as it once was (when I saw her on her last UK tour she had to

sit down for some of her set) but it is still very affecting and can really illuminate
the messages in the songs.

Graham Harrison

Mississippi Heat—Don’t Look Back—Delmark

Records

‘You Ain’t the Only One’ starts the album with a bang,
with Sheryl Youngblood’s strong gospel-infused vocals

and the band steaming along behind with her, complete
with brass section and female backing singers.

Mississippi Heat have been going since the early 90s led
by Israeli-born harp player (and chief song writer) Pierre
Lacocque and many of Chicago’s best players have
passed through the band. ‘Third Wheel’ and ‘Quarter to

Three’ are both based on the rolling piano of Johnny Iguana and ‘Stepped Out of Line’