7 Questions with Mavis Staples

The soul singer and civil rights activist talks collaborating with Bob Dylan, memories of Martin Luther King, Jr., and a new album, If All I Was Was Black, out Nov. 17. TIME: You’ve made 15 studio albums. What inspired you to get back into the studio? STAPLES: We’re living in trying times right now. What I’m seeing on the news really makes me feel like I’m back in the ’60s. These are songs that will inspire people to do better, to love one another, to come together.