Saturday, October 10, 2026

Mavis Staples: Ten songs of soul, strength, and hard-won hope

This article contains affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, DTNZ may earn a commission, which helps to support our work.

‘Sad and Beautiful’, released in November 2025 and produced by Brad Cook, is a ten-track album that shows Mavis Staples still working at a deeply thoughtful, human scale after more than six decades in music.

Staples, who first rose to prominence with ‘The Staple Singers’ and became a defining voice of gospel, soul, and the US civil rights movement, brings clarity and emotional weight to songs that reflect on society and faith.

The album opens with Chicago, grounding the record in place and memory, before moving through to Beautiful Strangers and the reflective centrepiece Sad and Beautiful World.

;Sad and Beautiful’ is an ideal album for listeners who value soul music from one of its most celebrated artists.

Available at Fishpond

Sad and Beautiful World

Sad and Beautiful World

Latest

Thiel slams Pope Leo’s AI warnings

The billionaire has claimed the pontiff is using fears of the technology to distract from the Catholic Church’s child sex abuse scandals. Pope Leo is...

Two dead in Christchurch incident

Two people have died and two others are in custody following a serious incident in Phillipstown, Christchurch this morning. Police were called to an address...

Death following water related incident, Tangimoana

One person has died after a water related incident in Tangimoana on Friday afternoon. About 2.30pm, Police were called to Tangimoana Beach Road after reports...

NPC 2026 QF 1: Northland 26-21 Tasman

Northland have beaten Tasman 26-21 in quarterfinal 1 of the 2026 NP at Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei. https://youtu.be/Ox_HE31aZCk?si=1KqpeO625KzA-dtm

UK arrests two men for breaking into US intelligence hub

The security breach comes days after seven suspects in a separate alleged “terror plot” against an American airbase were released on bail. British counterterrorism police...

Social media ban floated to reduce student riots in France

Following a fire at a high school in France, Salon-de-Provence mayor Nicolas Isnard has called for the power to temporarily cut minors’ access to...

Native Germans, Swiss, Belgians and Swedes to be minorities within 20 years

Native Swiss will be a minority in their own country by 2038, according to a demography dashboard from the Institute for Remigration (IFR). Belgium,...

Multi-billion dollar deal and global media control

David Ellison’s media company Skydance has completed a $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, bringing an enormous concentration of global news and entertainment...