Mavis Staples made a promise to her father Pops Staples fifteen years ago, and with the release of Don’t Lose This she’ll finally hold up her end of the bargain. Before his death in 2000, Pops entrusted his daughter with a collection of incomplete songs and the admonishment, “Don’t lose this.” So she undertook the challenge of turning the pieces into full-fledged songs, and Don’t Lose This comes out this year, commemorating what would have been her father’s 100th year. On “Friendship,” Pops’ voice sounds piped in from the past — and so do his sentiments about lifelong bonds. In a world populated with Twitter feeds, divorce, and increased mobility, most of us can’t claim many lifetime relationships, but listening to Pops wax rhapsodic about the benefits of loyalty is a soothing sentiment. That’s Mavis — along with her sisters Yvonne and Cleotha Staples — on harmonies, and she also enlisted Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and his son Spencer for the track. Jeff plays bass and Spencer handles drums on “Friendship,” rounding out a simple, old-school soul track that venerates the power of a trusted companion. Listen below.

(Via Speakeasy)