Listeners are spoilt for choice when it comes to legendary artists releasing new material. For Mavis Staples, it’s a chance to share what many have likely forgotten. Her soul roots and instrumental groove are unmatched, and while Sad and Beautiful World may not be the same high bar she set all those years ago, it is still an exceptional listen. There is no ulterior motive at play for Sad and Beautiful World. The joy of creativity is its aim, to express that and highlight just how much of a difference it can make in a world marred by the actions of evil. That much is clear enough throughout the album. Notes of rage and tearful admissions of bravery in the face of a worsening world. Staples has a sensational voice even now, and that’s not as much a surprise as it is a reliable, long-serving style which has been profiled across the decades. Songs like the opener, Chicago, do justice to Staples’ vocal strength and her read on the world.
Ruminations on death and love are all too familiar to listeners now, but Staples provides a whole new intimacy to those definite moments of life. Beautiful Strangers is a wonderful song, lamenting loss but learning from it. It’s the latter that so many artists forget to include. A conclusion to their thoughts is what gives the journey, all those little differences they believe are worth mentioning as a way to form a link with their memories and their present self, a new strength. Staples does this magnificently here, with little flourishes of religion and familial surroundings embedded so naturally into Sad and Beautiful World. Backed by some tremendous instrumentals, too, and it becomes an honest, fulfilling album. Simplicity works when it’s honest. There is a warmth to the title track which gives not just credence to Staples’ point, but argues for a clearer route, rather than a contrived one, when tackling the big topics affecting us all.
Soft instrumentals, a softer vocal touch, it’s a brilliant example of Staples’ fundamental appeal as a performer. Warmth comes not just from those softer flourishes but from the certainty of Staples’ writing. The machine is picking up speed, as she notes on Hard Times, and that increase is making life worse, or at the very least, changing the struggle for many. Staples remains an important voice not because of her longevity but because of how well she has grasped the modern-day struggles. It’s knowing Staples is, as she says on Godspeed, always there for her listener. Remember your roots and the positives of life make themselves clear. It’s a nice enough message; a broad sweetness backed with instrumentals that offer the same as the lyrics. Simple sounding but striking when delivered with conviction.
Sad and Beautiful World features, undoubtedly, some of the very best songs by Staples. Moving, intimate reflections on life which are a natural, unavoidable aspect of a seasoned performer heading into the studio in their twilight years. But that reflection and the roots of her early years never overwhelm the present-day-facing messages. Satisfied Mind is a perfect overlap of those tones. Happiness is in the shared experience, according to Everybody Needs Love. It’s the unifying message from songwriters this year, be it with Got to Have Love from Pulp or the overarching theme of Double Infinity from Big Thief. The best in class this year, like Staples, are providing evidence of what works in the face of times that tax the soul. Love, connectivity, and calmness prevail on Sad and Beautiful World. Staples injects beauty into a listener’s life with those assured, hopeful stories.
