Mavis Staples has announced a new album. Produced by Brad Cook, Sad and Beautiful World combines original material with covers of songs by Tom Waits, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Frank Ocean, Curtis Mayfield, and Leonard Cohen, among others. In June, Staples shared her rendition of Ocean’s “Godspeed,” and, today, she’s shared her take on Kevin Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers.” Listen to the new song below.
“It isn’t easy to put into words what it feels like having one of the best, most important vocalists and cultural figures of both the 20th and 21st century sing one of my songs,” Morby shared in a press statement. “But hearing Mavis sing ‘Beautiful Strangers’ is hands down the greatest moment and highest honor of my career. Far beyond any kind of accolade or acclaim—having one of my biggest heroes sing something I wrote is the most validating and flattering thing that could ever happen to me as a songwriter and person. Thank you, Mavis.”
Morby added: “Mavis also wields that extremely rare power to take a song somebody else wrote and make it entirely her own. As the person who penned ‘Beautiful Strangers,’ I feel I have every right to say; her version is better.”
Sad and Beautiful World is out November 7 via via Anti-. Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy, Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield, MJ Lenderman, and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon all make guest appearances on Staples’ solo follow-up to 2019’s We Get By.
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Sad and Beautiful World:
01 Chicago
02 Beautiful Strangers
03 Sad and Beautiful World
04 Human Mind
05 Hard Times
06 Godspeed
07 We Got to Have Peace
08 Anthem
09 Satisfied Mind
10 Everybody Needs Love