If All I Was Was Black

It’s hard to find someone classier than Mavis Staples. The gospel singer is nothing short of a legend, and at nearly 80 she’s still killing with If All I Was Was Black, featuring a new batch of politically toned love-wrapped songs written and produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. These are simple songs, with elements of country, pop and gospel, and Staples’ straightforward vocal delivery to match. “We Go High” takes a note from the famous Michelle Obama quote, as Staples sings, “We go high when they go low/I know they don’t know what they’re doing.” Favorite tracks would probably be a tie between “Try Harder,” with its toe-tapping crunchy electric pulse and sing-along choruses, and “No Time for Crying,” which is full of urgency and a sweet groove. The closer, “All Over Again,” is mesmerizing and a slight departure from the rest of the record, with Staples’ voice dipping into an intimate tone over no-frills finger-picked guitar, pulling the listener in close.