Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black (Album Review)
Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Written by Jennifer Geddes
Mavis Staples and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy have teamed up again on ‘If All I Was Was Black’, and their third collaboration is a call for love, hope and unity in the face of the struggles facing black Americans.
A loose concept album, each track feels like a response to the current political climate. That’s nothing new for Staples, who has a long history with the civil rights movement dating back to the Staple Singers and their close relationship with Martin Luther King Jr..
It’s sad to note how little has changed, as Staples asks on the title track: “If all I was was black. Don't you wanna know me more than that?” Little Bit, the opening song, looks at police brutality, as she sings: “That ain’t why they shot him. They say his was fighting. So that’s what we’re told.”
On Build A Bridge she notes: “When I say my life matters you can say that yours does to. But I bet you don’t have to remind anyone to look at it from your point of view.”
The album is not entirely as confrontational as the title suggests, though. On the gospel-inflected Peaceful Dream, she invites everyone to share in her hope for a better world; her belief in that is her secret for getting through the struggle.
No Time For Crying also teaches us to take that strength and love and put it into working towards justice. On We Go High, which explicitly references Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Staples sings: “They tell their lies spread around rumours. I know they’re still human. They need my love.”
Both Staples and Tweedy showcase their considerable talents throughout. He draws on the conventions of blues, funk, gospel and country songwriting, but never so much that the record sounds retro. His guitar riffs often melodiously wander along, with the sparse instrumentation letting them ring out with a sparkle. It all feels effortless.
Staples' vocals pull off the same trick. Decades of experience means she can convey a multitude of emotions with just the slightest intonation. Power, hurt, rationality, and kindness all seep through, and these two obviously love working together. They join in a duet on the meandering country-rock track Ain’t No Doubt as they sing: “I’ll always be your friend. Ain’t no doubt about it, I can count on you till the end.”
That all these songs were written by Tweedy, though, is problematic. He just can’t delve into the real experience of being a black American. Staples has always performed songs written by other artists - the Staple Singers were renowned for their covers, while her last album, ‘Livin’ on a High Note’, contained contributions from M. Ward and Benjamin Booker, among others - and her delivery means that these words still hit hard. But they can’t compare with the truths being spoken by other black artists right now.
With that said, like all great spirituals these songs are capable of moving and uplifting you. Hearing Staples and Tweedy at work together remains something special.
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