Mavis Staples has announced the forthcoming release of her next studio album, We Get By. The 11-track studio effort was co-produced by Ben Harper, who also composed each of the songs featured on We Get By, which is scheduled to arrive on May 13th via ANTI-Records.
This isn’t the first time that Staples and Harper have teamed up to write and record new material, as the two collaborated on “Love And Trust” from Staples’ last studio album, 2016’s Livin’ on a High Note. Harper also performs on the album’s title track. The album’s cover photo, titled, “Outside Looking In”, was taken by late Civil Rights leader, Gordon Parks.
Staples also shared the first single set to appear on We Get By to go with Wednesday’s album announcement. The song, simply titled, “Change”, hears the veteran singer stepping up to the mic alongside the grit of an electric guitar as she sings out powerful and affirming lyrics, “What good is freedom if we haven’t learned to be free/Day after day, year after year/We’re gonna change around here.” Fans can listen to Mavis’ new single below:
Mavis Staples – “Change”
[Video: ANTI-Records]
“These songs are delivering such a strong message,” Staples added in a statement about her forthcoming release. “We truly need to make a change if we want this world to be better.”
Staples’ 2019 concert schedule continues to fill up with upcoming appearances at events including New Orleans Jazz Fest, Willie Nelson‘s Luck Reunion, Pitchfork Music Festival, and the inaugural Shoals Fest. Staples will also be joined by a mix of friends and musical colleagues at the trio of Mavis & Friends shows in New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles come May for the singers upcoming 80th birthday.
Fans can click here to pre-order We Get By ahead of its May 13th release.
[H/T JamBase]
