Gospel/soul great Mavis Staples will release her 14th solo studio album, Sad and Beautiful World, on November 7. The 10-track collection features updated versions of tunes spanning “seven decades of the American songbook,” as well as some originals.
Videos by American Songwriter
Staples is joined by a variety of guest artists on the album, including Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Nathaniel Rateliff, Derek Trucks, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, and more.
Sad and Beautiful World was produced by Brad Cook, who also has worked with Rateliff, Bon Iver, and Waxahatchee.
As a template for Staples’ new record, Cook looked to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s star-studded 1972 tribute album to American country and bluegrass music, Will the Circle Be Unbroken. Sad and Beautiful World features a group of artists teaming up to celebrate Mavis and the community of musicians who have worked with and been inspired by her.
Cook built each track around Staples’ vocal performance, starting with sparse drums and piano, then layering additional parts to create the finished tune.
Reflecting on her approach to singing the tune on Sad and Beautiful World, the 86-year-old Staples said, “I just have to deliver the compassion I feel. I want to share the song the way I feel it.”
You can pre-order and pre-save Sad and Beautiful World now. The album will be available on CD, as a vinyl LP, and digitally. A limited-edition champagne-colored LP can be purchased exclusively at Mavis’ online store.
About the Lead Single, “Beautiful Stranger”
A version of Texas singer/songwriter’s 2016 tune “Beautiful Stranger” has been released as an advance single from Staples’ upcoming album. The cover features backing vocals by Rateliff.
In a statement, Morby explained how proud he was that Mavis had recorded the tune.
“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,” Kevin Morby said. “But hearing Mavis sing ‘Beautiful Strangers’ is hands down the greatest moment and highest honor of my career.”
He continued, “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. 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.”
About Mavis Staples’ Upcoming Performance Plans
Staples currently has about a dozen confirmed upcoming U.S. concerts on her schedule. The shows are mapped out from a September 6 show in Lone Tree, Colorado, through a February 28, 2026, performance in New York City.
Mavis also has been announced as a headliner for the 2026 30A Songwriters Festival, scheduled for January 16–19, 2026, at various resort towns on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The date and location for Staples’ performance at the event has been revealed yet.
Sad and Beautiful World Track List:
- “Chicago”
- “Beautiful Strangers”
- “Sad and Beautiful World”
- “Human Mind”
- “Hard Times”
- “Godspeed”
- “We Got to Have Peace”
- “Anthem”
- “Satisfied Mind”
- “Everybody Needs Love”
(Photo by Per Ole Hagen/Redferns)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.