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Music

Benjamin Booker Makes Stunning Return with Mavis Staples on “Witness”

‘Witness,’ the follow-up to his self-titled 2014 debut, is out June 2.

Last February, Benjamin Booker flew to Mexico, rented an apartment near Juarez, and tried to break through writer's block. I only know this because Booker wrote a brief but essential essay to accompany his new song, "Witness" and announce his new album of the same name. You can read it over at NPR. It's a thoughtful assessment of American chaos after the murder of Freddie Gray, the ways in which racism has affected Booker's life, and the importance of "bearing witness" to events with references to the Bible and Baldwin.

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"Witness" itself contains all of that same graceful urgency. Gospel legend Mavis Staples sings the chorus, her effortless resonance contrasting Booker's hoarse blues vocals. She asks, "Am I gonna be a witness?," before turning the track over to Booker for the foundations: "Seems like the whole damn nation's trying to take us down / When your brother's dying / Mother's crying / TV's lying / All the reasons in the world don't mean shit to me now."

Listen to the track below and read Booker's essay at NPR.

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