More than seventy years after a high-school teacher tried and failed to change her singing style, Mavis Staples has one of the most recognizable voices in the world. Her new album, Sad And Beautiful World, will be out on November 7 and it is the latest solo album from a national treasure and multigenerational talent with vocals so warm and textured  that they feel like a physical presence.

A collection of hopeful songs for tough times, the title track was written by Mark Linkous a.k.a. Sparklehorse. With its funeral-march rhythm and spare lyrics, “Sad And Beautiful World” finds beauty even amid the grief over everything that has been lost. To help capture Staples’ resonant phrasing and textured vocals, producer Brad Cook tried to build every song around that voice. He began with spare skeleton recordings, just drum and piano and focused on recording her vocals.

Also, Sad And Beautiful World includes cameos by artists who have become part of the artists’ world, many of whom are legends in their own right: Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy, Derek Trucks, Katie Crutchfield, MJ Lenderman, Justin Vernon and others shine a light on the beautiful music.