The joyful and effervescent Mavis Staples performed at Newport Folk Festival yesterday, running through a spirited set of songs, both old and new. "The Weight", "I'll Take You There" and "You Are Not Alone", the title track of her 2010 Grammy winning CD.
I sat down with Mavis after her performance. Click here to listen to the interview.
I go through a process as I listen to an album for the first time. Because of the volume of music I listen to every week, it's rather quick, but a process nonetheless. Even with a legendary musician like Mavis Staples, one I am so ready to accept absolutely, it takes a certain amount of time before an album kicks in, takes hold. And that moment when it does, the moment when I'm swept away is my favorite part of the music listening routine.
As I made my way through "You Are Not Alone" the new CD from Chicago's Mavis Staples, I asked myself "Do I like this?" and "Am I going to get blown away?" I experienced a slow build, and by the time I circled through a few times, I was sold. The song choices are inspired, and include a few written by her dad the late "Pops" Staples, a couple by the album's producer, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy (love the title track written by Jeff!), and one from Randy Newman, "Losing You", another killer song choice. Mavis has so much depth as a singer and what I realized was happening with the slow build was that I was traveling inside her sound, with all of it's subtlety and breadth of experience. And all at once, I got to the center and found what I was hoping for, what she was going for.
"...You're living for nothing now. I hope you're keeping some kind of record."
Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen
When I first heard Famous Blue Raincoat, the song that Leonard Cohen wrote in the form of a letter to his friend/rival/"brother"/"killer", I was there with him at his writing desk in New York at "4 in the morning", hanging on every word, every note. This kind of response to songs and the artists that write them, has repeated itself thousands of times in my life in music and this is what my Famous Blue Blog explores.
Barbara Dacey
Since 1970, I have lived and worked on Martha's Vineyard. I am mvyradio's Director of Worldwide Programming and for 25 years have shaped and been shaped by the sound of mvy. I am on air weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and host Uncharted Waters, mvyradio's weekly new music show. I am a singer-songwriter and guitar player, and a long-time Buddhist practitioner.
The joyful and effervescent Mavis Staples performed at Newport Folk Festival yesterday, running through a spirited set of songs, both old and new. "The Weight", "I'll Take You There" and "You Are Not Alone", the title track of her 2010 Grammy winning CD.
I go through a process as I listen to an album for the first time. Because of the volume of music I listen to every week, it's rather quick, but a process nonetheless. Even with a legendary musician like Mavis Staples, one I am so ready to accept absolutely, it takes a certain amount of time before an album kicks in, takes hold. And that moment when it does, the moment when I'm swept away is my favorite part of the music listening routine. 