December 4, 2017

The Late Sharon Jones’ Soulful Farewell

With ferocity and tenderness, the late singer told vivid stories of everyday struggle.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

Soul of a Woman

Daptone

Although Sharon Jones’ ongoing battle with cancer was no secret, the news of her death in Nov. 2016 still came as a shock to anyone who loved this vibrant talent. Soul of a Woman is a fitting farewell, spotlighting a dynamic R&B singer who could croon tenderly like Otis Redding or shout with a ferocity worthy of Tina Turner. Backed by the ever-sure Dap-Kings, Jones tells vivid stories of everyday struggle and spiritual uplift that make tough times easier to bear. She’ll be missed.

Mavis Staples

If All I Was Was Black

Anti-

On her third album collaborating with Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples adds another triumphant chapter to a career that began in the ‘50s when she was a member of the Staple Singers. Produced by Tweedy, who wrote or co-wrote all the songs, If All I Was Was Black addresses modern-day political and social ills in songs that artfully balance angry resistance and calls to positive action, blending gospel, rock and pop in a work that feels both timely and timeless. Check out the gentle “Peaceful Dream” or the rousing “No Time for Crying” and see if you don’t feel better right away.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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