If All I Was Was Black

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If All I Was Was Black
File:If All I Was Was Black.jpg
Studio album by Mavis Staples
Released November 17, 2017 (2017-11-17)
Recorded May 2017[1]
Studio The Loft
(Chicago, Illinois)
Genre
Length 34:33
Label ANTI-
Producer Jeff Tweedy
Mavis Staples chronology
Livin' on a High Note
(2016)		 If All I Was Was Black
(2017)		 Live in London
(2019)
Singles from If All I Was Was Black

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.[2][3] The album was written and produced by Jeff Tweedy.[4]

Background

The album's announced on September 11, 2017. The album consists of 11 songs, all of which were written by Jeff Tweedy.[5][6] Staples said she hoped the album will "bring us all together as a people. That's what I hope to do. You can't stop me. You can't break me. I'm too loving. These songs are going to change the world."[7][8] Tweedy described the message of the album, saying, "I’ve always thought of art as a political statement in and of itself—that it was enough to be on the side of creation and not destruction. But there is something that feels complicit at this moment in time about not facing what is happening in this country head on."[9][10][11][12]

Release and promotion

The lead single, "If All I Was Was Black", was released on September 11, 2017, along with the album's pre-order.[13] "Little Bit" was released as the second single from the album on October 12, 2017.[14] The third single, "Build a Bridge", was released on November 7, 2017.[15] "Ain't No Doubt About It" was released as the fourth and final single on November 14, 2017.[16] A music video for "If All I Was Was Black" was released on February 12, 2018.[17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 80/100[18]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[19]
The A.V. Club B[20]
Paste 8.4/10[21]
Pitchfork 7.6/10[22]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[23]

If All I Was Was Black received generally favorable reviews upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 18 reviews.[18]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Little Bit"   3:51
2. "If All I Was Was Black"   3:56
3. "Who Told You That"   2:48
4. "Ain't No Doubt About It" (featuring Jeff Tweedy) 3:18
5. "Peaceful Dream"   3:20
6. "No Time for Crying"   4:37
7. "Build a Bridge"   3:38
8. "We Go High"   3:26
9. "Try Harder"   3:51
10. "All Over Again"   1:52
Total length:
 34:33

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.

  • Mavis Staples - vocals
  • Jeff Tweedy - guitar, bass, percussion, vocals
  • Spencer Tweedy - drums, percussion
  • Rick Holmstrom - guitar
  • Jeff Turmes - bass
  • Stephen Hodges - drums, percussion
  • Donny Gerrard - backing vocals
  • Kelly Hogan - backing vocals
  • Akenya - backing vocals
  • Glenn Kotche - percussion
  • Scott Ligon - clavinet, piano, organ, Wurly, guitar

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 106
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[25] 10

References

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  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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