Mavis Staples – “We Get By” (Feat. Ben Harper) Video
Back in March, renowned gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples announced her 12th studio album, We Get By. Two other recent albums, 2013’s One True Vine and 2017’s If All I Was Was Black, were cowritten and produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. This time around, all of the songs are written and co-produced by Ben Harper. Today, the pair have shared the title track from that album along with a video.
“We Get By” is quiet, with minimal instrumentation that puts Staples’ and Harper’s voices at the forefront. A slight yet shimmery guitar is sprinkled throughout, and builds into a scorching solo. The percussion is slow with a shaker and snare taps. The video shows some behind the scenes action of tracking the tune, with Staples and Harper in the studio. The sweet black and white montage ends with Staples saying, “That’s a winner. Whatcha talking ’bout?”
Check out “We Get By” below.
We Get By is out 5/24 via ANTI-. Pre-order it here.