Review: Mavis!

Mavis Staples is a legend that may not be all that familiar to your average music fan. While her family band The Staple Singers made a big impact in the 70's, Mavis struggled to develop as a solo artist once the group called it quits. Mavis!, a new documentary about her, doesn't dwell on this and instead paints a picture of a wonderful soul singer who continues to inspire and perform.

The best part of the film is the early half that traces the rise of The Staple Singers. Pops Staples led this unique group that blended gospel with pop-soul sensibilities to create a sound all their own. The band may be most familiar to some from their stunning performance of The Weight in The Last Waltz, the Martin Scorsese directed rock concert of The Band's final performance.  They also performed at the Wattstax festival at the peak of their popularity. The film traces how Mavis's incredible baritone voice made the group standout. She was a star within the group.

In her later life, Mavis Staples connects with Wilco frontman and fanboy Jeff Tweedy to record two new albums in the last decade.  He has clearly reinvigorated her creativity and given her a wonderful means to record her solo material. The film contains a very touching moment as Tweedy remastered Mavis' father Pop's old recordings, allowing her to hear her father again after his passing in 2000.

While the film utilizes some excellent footage from the history of her life, the more modern scenes have a tendency to feel a bit over directed. One can sense the director wanted certain moments and crafts the interviews to fit those ideas. These moments aren't overly distracting but they do keep the film from being a knockout.

Mavis! is an often engaging account of a lost legend. The music throughout is fantastic and plenty of famous musicians weigh in on the impact of Mavis Staples and her legacy. The film occasionally feels a bit manipulated to be considered as great as this inspiring singer.

4/5