| Livin' on a High Note | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 19, 2016 | |||
| Length | 38:36 | |||
| Label | Anti-, Epitaph | |||
| Producer | M. Ward [1] | |||
| Mavis Staples chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 76/100 [2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [4] |
Livin' on a High Note is the tenth solo studio album by American musician Mavis Staples. It was released in February 2016 under Epitaph. Rolling Stone placed the album on its 45 Best Albums of 2016 So Far list. [5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Take Us Back" | Benjamin Booker | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Love and Trust" | Ben Harper | 3:19 |
| 3. | "If It's a Light" | Charity Rose Thielen | 3:04 |
| 4. | "Action" | Merrill Garbus | 3:06 |
| 5. | "High Note" | Valerie June | 3:31 |
| 6. | "Don't Cry" | M. Ward | 2:48 |
| 7. | "Tomorrow" | Jon Batiste, Aloe Blacc | 3:20 |
| 8. | "Dedicated" | Justin Vernon, Ward | 3:55 |
| 9. | "History, Now" | Neko Case, Donny Gerrard, Laura Veirs | 2:07 |
| 10. | "One Love" | Aaron Livingston | 3:10 |
| 11. | "Jesus Lay Down Beside Me" | Nick Cave | 4:05 |
| 12. | "MLK Song" | Martin Luther King Jr., Ward | 2:55 |
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples, the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha, Pervis, and Mavis. Yvonne replaced her brother when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and again in 1970. They are best known for their 1970s hits "Respect Yourself", "I'll Take You There", "If You're Ready ", and "Let's Do It Again". While the family name is Staples, the group used "Staple" commercially.
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and, as of 2023, had sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Billboard named her the top jazz artist of the 2000s decade. She has won nine Grammy Awards and was ranked 60th on Billboard magazine's artists of the 2000s decade chart.
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers, of which she is the last surviving member. During her time in the group, she recorded the hit singles "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again". In 1969, Staples released her self-titled debut solo album.
"I'll Take You There" is a song written by Al Bell, and originally performed by soul/gospel family band the Staple Singers. The Staple Singers version, produced by Bell, was released on Stax Records in February 1972, and spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. By December 1972, it had sold 2 million units and is ranked as the 19th biggest American hit of 1972. It remains one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time.
We'll Never Turn Back is the seventh studio album by American gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples, released April 24, 2007 on ANTI- Records. Recorded in 2007 and produced by roots rock and blues musician Ry Cooder, it is a concept album with lyrical themes relating to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Upon its release, We'll Never Turn Back received positive reviews from most music critics. It was also named one of the best albums of 2007 by several music writers and publications.
You Are Not Alone is the eighth studio album by American gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples, released September 14, 2010 on ANTI- Records. It won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards.
Bloom is the fourth studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was co-produced by the band and Chris Coady, and was released on May 15, 2012, by Sub Pop, in Europe by Bella Union, in Australia by Mistletone Records, and in Mexico by Arts & Crafts. The album was written over two years of touring and was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, over seven weeks. Building on their previous album, Teen Dream (2010), the duo continued to add live drums to their song arrangements for Bloom, supplementing their drum machine rhythms.
Doris is the debut studio album by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. It was released on August 20, 2013, through Odd Future Records and Tan Cressida Records, and distributed by Columbia Records. Doris follows his first mixtape, Earl, which was released in 2010 when he was sixteen. After returning from a forced stay in a Samoan boarding school, he began working on his debut album and signed a deal with Columbia, rather than Odd Future's Odd Future Records.
I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt is the second studio album by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. It was released on March 23, 2015, by Tan Cressida Records and Columbia Records. It has guest appearances by Dash, Wiki, Na-Kel and Vince Staples.
Summertime '06 is the debut studio double album by American rapper Vince Staples. It was released on June 30, 2015, through ARTium Recordings, Blacksmith Records, and Def Jam Recordings. The album was primarily produced by No I.D., alongside a variety of high-profile record producers, including DJ Dahi, Clams Casino, Brian Kidd, Christian Rich, and Mikky Ekko. The album was supported by three singles: "Señorita", "Get Paid", and "Norf Norf".
I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It is the second studio album by English band the 1975, released on 26 February 2016 through Dirty Hit and Polydor. In 2014, frontman Matty Healy released a series of cryptic tweets containing lyrics from the album, revealing its title the following year. After their social accounts were deleted and reinstated with a new visual identity, the band officially confirmed the album in September 2015, a month before "Love Me" was released as the lead single. Over the course of five months, "Ugh!", "Somebody Else" and "The Sound" were released as singles, with "A Change of Heart" released four days prior to release. "She's American" and "Loving Someone" were later released in November 2016 and February 2017 as the final singles.
From A Room: Volume 1 is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, released on May 5, 2017 through Mercury Nashville. Primarily a country, blues, and roots rock record, it was produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton.
From A Room: Volume 2 is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, released on December 1, 2017, through Mercury Nashville. Produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton, the album comprises a range of music styles, including country, Southern rock and Southern soul. Commercially, it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. It received a nomination for Best Country Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, with the single "Millionaire" being nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.
Donald Bradford Gerrard was a Canadian singer. He was a member of the band Skylark in the early 1970s, and in later years performed and recorded as a baritone backup singer for such artists as Mavis Staples.
If All I Was Was Black is the thirteenth studio album by American R&B, soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples. It was released on November 17, 2017, by ANTI- Records. The album was written and produced by Jeff Tweedy.
We Get By is the fourteenth studio album by American R&B, soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples. It was released on May 24, 2019, by Anti-.
Live in London is the second live album by American R&B, soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples. It was released on February 8, 2019, by ANTI- Records. The album was recorded on July 9 and 10, 2018, at Union Chapel in London, England.
Up and Rolling is the tenth studio album by American band North Mississippi Allstars. It was released on October 4, 2019, through New West Records, making it their first album for the label.
Summer of Soul [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] is the accompanying soundtrack to the 2021 American documentary film Summer of Soul directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, which covers the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Like the documentary film, the live recordings did not have an official public release for more than 50 years. The album featured 17 live renditions selected and curated by Questlove, performed over the course of the festival. These songs were recorded by various performers Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, The 5th Dimension, The Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mavis Staples, Blinky Williams, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Chambers Brothers and featured a range of genres, like rock, R&B, soul, jazz, pop, gospel.
Carry Me Home is a 2022 collaborative album between Americans roots rock drummer Levon Helm and soul singer Mavis Staples, released on Anti-. Made from sessions recorded at Helm's studio in 2011, shortly before his death, the album has received praise from critics.
