On Mavis Staples’ third album with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy in the producer’s chair, she sings with the chin held-high strength and perspective of someone looking back on a life well-lived, even as she comes to grips with how fragile it has always been. If All I Was Was Black took shape against the current sociopolitical backdrop of racial tension and violence in America that has become all too reminiscent of the civil rights era—a grim parallel that inspired Tweedy when he wrote the album’s 10 compact songs, and which fuels Staples’ interpretation with a stunning range of emotions. She can sound wistful on “Ain’t No Doubt About It” (“Sometimes I have the answers/ But my questions get taken away”), hopeful on “We Go High” (“Gonna stand side by side/ Our hearts in command”) and even angry on “Who Told You That?” The set also serves as a snapshot of Tweedy’s production ability, with a tight rhythm section and backing singers behind him, to capture the brooding darkness of Sly Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On (complete with a raggedy drum-machine patch to set the tone). Staples is at her positive best on the title song, imbuing simple lines like “It’s time for more love” with the heart-rending grace, beauty and devotion of her gospel roots. Considering all the things she’s seen since growing up on Chicago’s South Side, where giants like Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls and Jerry Butler were her neighbors, it’s a ton of soulful weight to carry, and worth every step she takes with it.