Mavis Staples – “Change”

Mavis Staples – “Change”

Legendary gospel singer Mavis Staples teamed up with producer Jeff Tweedy for a pair of albums, most recently 2017’s If All I Was Was Black. Today, she announces her 12th studio album, We Get By — this time with all the songs written and co-produced by Ben Harper — and shares its lead single “Change.”

The song, and the album that follows, sees Staples surveying the current political moment and demanding change, offering love, hope, and wisdom. “What good is freedom/ If we haven’t learned to be free,” she sings. “Day after day year after year/ Gonna change around here.”

“These songs are delivering such a strong message,” Staples says in a statement. “We truly need to make a change if we want this world to be better.” The cover art for We Get By is a photograph titled “Outside Looking In” by the American photographer, author, musician, and director Gordon Parks. It’s part of “The Restraints: Open and Hidden,” a famous photo essay that helped expose Americans to the effects of racial segregation.

Listen to “Change” below.

TRACK LIST
01. “Change”
02. “Anytime”
03. “We Get By”
04. “Brothers And Sisters”
05. “Stronger”
06. “Heavy On My Mind”
07. “Sometime”
08. “Never Needed Anyone”
09. “Chance On Me”
10. “Hard To Leave”
11. “One More Change To Make”

TOUR DATES
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3/22 – Jackson, MS @ Thalia Mara Hall
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3/29 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Resort & Casino

04/13 – Decatur, GA @ Amplify Decatur Music Festival
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4/14 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Baton Rouge Blues Festival
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4/18 – Byron Bay, Australia @ Byron Bay Bluesfest
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4/20 – Byron Bay, Australia @ Byron Bay Bluesfest
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4/21 – Byron Bay, Australia @ Byron Bay Bluesfest
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4/23 – Auckland, New Zealand @ The Civic w/ Tami Neilson
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5/02 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
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5/09 – New York, NY @ Mavis & Friends: Celebrating 80 Years of Mavis Staples
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5/15 – Nashville, TN @ Mavis & Friends: Celebrating 80 Years of Mavis Staples

05/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Mavis & Friends: Celebrating 80 Years of Mavis Staples

05/31 – Ogden, UT @ Ogden Music Festival
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6/09 – Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival 2019
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6/23 – Dublin, Ireland @ Olympia Theatre

06/25 – Norrmalm, Sweden @ Nalen
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6/26-30 – Worthy Farm, UK @ Glastonbury Festival 2019

06/27 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Theater Carré 

06/28 – Antwerpen, Belgium @ Open-Air Theatre


We Get By is out 5/10 via ANTI-. Pre-order it here.

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