Have a Little Faith (Mavis Staples album)

Have a Little Faith
Studio album by
Mavis Staples
Released2004
GenreSoul, blues, gospel
Length52:08
LabelAlligator
ProducerJim Tullio, Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples chronology
Spirituals & Gospel
(1996) 		Have a Little Faith
(2004) 		We'll Never Turn Back
(2007)

Have a Little Faith is the sixth solo studio album by the American soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples, which was released by Alligator Records.[1]

The album was released after a hiatus of roughly eight years, during which Staples lost her father, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Roebuck "Pops" Staples, and stopped touring in order to deal with the illness of her sister Cleotha.[2][3] Upon completing the recording, which she financed from her savings, she was turned down by a dozen labels before Alligator expressed interest.[2] She recalled: "You have some companies don't want to sign older artists. It just happened that I finally got the message."[4] "I made this record... with my own money and shopped it around. I thought, if I have to sell it out of the trunk of my car, I will."[5] Regarding the album title, Staples commented: "all we need is a little faith, just about the size of a mustard seed."[6]

Have a Little Faith initiated a period in which Staples returned to recording on a more regular basis, and in which there was a resurgence of interest in her work.[7]

  1. ^ Have a Little Faith at Alligator Records
  2. ^ a b Harrington, Richard (October 31, 2004). "The Gospel According to Mavis". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  3. ^ Doyle, Patrick (February 25, 2018). "Mavis Staples' Second Act". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Singer Mavis Staples defies industry limits". The Herald-Times. October 29, 2004. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  5. ^ "Sharon Jones Meets Mavis Staples". Spin. April 2010. p. 70 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (October 23, 2004). "Mavis Staples Prevails With a Little 'Faith'". Billboard. p. 17 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Martens, Todd (September 12, 2010). "Mavis Staples' second act". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2023.