Who knows if Frank Ocean will ever release music again, but musicians will definitely continue to cover his songs: Valerie June, Indigo De Souza, James Blake, Switchfoot, Nilüfer Yanya. Now, Mavis Staples is sharing her rendition of the Blonde fan favorite, "Godspeed."
“Channel Orange was my first introduction to Frank Ocean and I was just amazed at the writing and soulfulness coming from his voice,” the 85-year-old singer explains. “And I loved Blonde when that record came out. That first line in 'Godspeed' of 'I will always love you' just crushes me every time I hear it…or sing it. It’s just such a beautiful song and he sounds amazing on it so I was a little nervous if we could pull it off. I was honored to sing his words.”
Her interpretation was produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee) and features spoken word vocals by songwriter and Youth Poet Laureate Kara Jackson. Listen below.
TOUR DATES:
06/21 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Jazz Festival
06/23 – Toronto, Canada @ Toronto Jazz Festival
06/26 – Montreal, Canada @ Montreal Jazz Festival
06/28 – Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre
06/29 – Brevard, NC @ Brevard Music Center
07/05 – Sioux City, IA @ Saturday in the Park
07/13 – Winnipeg, MB @ Winnipeg Folk Festvial
07/18 – Detroit, MI @ Concert of Colors
07/20 – Columbus, OH @ Jazz & Rib Fest
07/22 – Cincinnati, OH @ Memorial Hall
08/02 – Notodden, Norway @ Notodden Blues Festival
08/05 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg
08/07 – Gothenburg, Västra Götaland County @ Way Out West
08/10 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
08/22 – Winston-Salem, NC @ The Ramkat
08/23 – Rocky Mount, VA @ Harvester Performance Center
08/25 – Ocean City, NJ @ Ocean City Music Pier
09/11 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
09/13 – Napa, CA @ Blue Note Summer Sessions
10/04 – Memphis, TN @ Mempho Fest
10/09 – Tucson, AZ @ Fox Theatre
10/12 – Chandler, AZ @ Chandler Center for the Arts
