Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

New Music Preview: Mavis Staples, Morrissey, and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Welcome to the Manual’s new monthly album preview column. Below you’ll find the three records releasing in November that we can’t wait to hear!

Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black

Mavis Staples - "If All I Was Was Black"

“We’re not loving one another the way we should,” notes Mavis Staples in a press release for the forthcoming If All I Was Was Black, written and produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco fame. She adds, “Some people are saying we need to make the world great again, but we never lost our greatness. We just strayed into division.”

Recommended Videos

Early single “Little Bit,” is a “a cautionary anthem of all the ways in which those regarded as suspicious have to weigh their actions just to survive day to day.” The song’s jaunty bassline contrasts with its chorus: “A little bit too high / a little bit too low / a little bit out of line / and my baby won’t make it home.” But the coda is optimistic: Staples sings, “You feel surrounded / Maybe you’re confused / Maybe you’re confounded / What is there to do? / A little bit from you / A little bit from me / Simple as it gets / We set each other free.” (Available November 17 via ANTI-)

Morrissey – Low in High School

Morrissey - Spent the Day in Bed (Official Video)

Fall 2017 has been a treat for fans of The Smiths. October saw the release of a highly acclaimed deluxe remaster of the band’s 1986 classic, The Queen is Dead, and Morrissey’s latest solo outing, titled Low in High School, arrives in mid-November.

Two early singles have come out since the album’s August announcement. “Spent the Day in Bed” is a synth-infused pop anthem that doubles as a protest against the evils of television news. The chorus repeats, “Stop watching the news! / Because the news contrives to frighten you / To make you feel small and alone /To make you feel that your mind isn’t your own.” (Available November 17 via BMG)

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Soul of a Woman

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings "Matter of Time" OFFICIAL VIDEO

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ new album, Soul of a Woman, arrives a year — nearly to the day — after the beloved soul singer’s death from pancreatic cancer. Recorded throughout the year before Jones’ death, the record finds her voice at full power.

“Matter of Time,” an early single released in October, is an uplifting gem. The song captures the energy of the band’s on-stage energy, which makes sense given Dap-Kings bassist Bosco Mann’s comment in a press release: “The band was really cresting on stage in months before Sharon passed. As a show band, I don’t think any band out there could have competed with us at that level. We hit the studio hot off the road and you could feel it in there.” (Available November 17 via Daptone Records)

Feature image courtesy of Xavi Torrent/Getty Images.

Writer’s note: In addition to contributing to The Manual, I work at a music promotion company, Distiller Promo, that is currently promoting Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ Soul of a Woman.

Terence Praet
Terence Praet contributes to The Manual’s New Music Monday column. He studied Philosophy and History at Skidmore College…
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more