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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THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

At least we hope they will, because that’s our approach to raising the $350,000 in online donations we need right now—during our high-stakes December fundraising push.

It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

But you told us fundraising is annoying—with the gimmicks, overwrought tone, manipulative language, and sheer volume of urgent URGENT URGENT!!! content we’re all bombarded with. It sure can be.

So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

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