Mavis Staples Honors Frank Ocean With Soulful ‘Godspeed’ Cover
Mavis Staples is lending her legendary voice to one of Frank Ocean’s most beloved ballads.
The gospel and soul icon recently released a stirring rendition of Ocean’s “Godspeed,” a standout from his 2016 album “Blonde.”Produced by Brad Cook, the cover is both reverent and revitalizing, featuring a tender spoken word segment by poet Kara Jackson.
The release arrives alongside news of Staples’ upcoming tour, which will include solo shows and festival stops across North America and Europe.
“Channel Orange was my first introduction to Frank Ocean and I was just amazed at the writing and soulfulness coming from his voice,” Staples shared in a statement. “And I loved ‘Blonde’ when that record came out. That first line in ‘Godspeed’ of ‘I will always love you’ just crushes me every time I hear it… or sing it. It’s just such a beautiful song and he sounds amazing on it so I was a little nervous if we could pull it off. I was honored to sing his words.”
Staples’ most recent album, “Carry Me Home,” a posthumous collaboration with Levon Helm, dropped in 2022.
She also appeared last year with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy on The “Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” performing the Staple Singers' anthem “Freedom Highway” during the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Check out the full list of dates below.
Mavis Staples:
06-21 Ottawa, Ontario - Ottawa Jazz Festival
06-23 Toronto, Ontario - Toronto Jazz Festival
06-26 Montreal, Quebec - Montreal Jazz Festival
06-28 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
06-29 Brevard, NC - Brevard Music Center
07-05 Sioux City, IA - Saturday in the Park
07-13 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Winnipeg Folk Festival
07-18 Detroit, MI - Concert of Colors
07-20 Columbus, OH - Jazz & Rib Fest
07-22 Cincinnati, OH - Memorial Hall
08-02 Notodden, Norway - Notodden Blues Festival
08-05 Utrecht, Netherlands - TivoliVredenburg
08-07 Gothenburg, Sweden- Way Out West
08-10 San Jose, CA - San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
08-22 Winston-Salem, NC - The Ramkat
08-23 Rocky Mount, VA - Harvester Performance Center
08-25 Ocean City, NJ - Ocean City Music Pier
09-11 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
09-13 Napa, CA - Blue Note Summer Sessions
10-04 Memphis, TN - Mempho Fest
10-09 Tucson, AZ - Fox Theatre
10-12 Chandler, AZ - Chandler Center for the Arts
