Mavis Staples has been celebrated by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” and after 75 years of performing she isn’t showing any signs of slowing down in that mission. The last surviving member of The Staple Singers, Mavis reigns as both a Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and a civil rights icon whose impact on music and culture can’t be overstated. Consider that Staples is a Grammy winner, Kennedy Center honoree, National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient and a chart-topping soul/gospel/R&B pioneer. She marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, sang in Barack Obama’s White House and has collaborated with everyone from Prince and Bob Dylan to Arcade Fire and Aretha Franklin.

“I sing because I want to leave people feeling better than I found them,” Staples has said. “I want them to walk away with a positive message in their hearts, feeling stronger than they felt before.” That message, a call for love, faith, justice, brotherhood and joy, is the foundation of We Get By, her celebrated 12th studio album and first full-length collaboration with multi-Grammy winner Ben Harper.