THE word “legend” has been bandied around a fair bit over the last few weeks but really, kicking a ball around hardly qualifies for such an accolade.

As a prominent member of the Civil Rights Movement in America in the mid-'60s Mavis Staples marched from Selma to Montgomery with Martin Luther King in a pivotal moment in the battle for equal rights and as a singer in The Staple Singers her voice was the soundtrack for change. Mavis Staples is a genuine legend.

At 79, she is one formidable lady armed with a voice so delightfully soulful one moment and a veritable tour de force the next bringing If You`re Ready (Come With Me) and Dedicated to vibrant life.

Her ever so Funky take on the Talking Heads Slippery People had the feet moving and the bodies shaking in the Boiler Shop crowd while the swaggering, sultry Who Told You That from her latest release shows an artist in a real renaissance deep into her illustrious career.

When the crowd called out for support act Benjamin Booker to join her on stage, she duly obliged for an unscheduled run through Witness. This was light hearted and fun and Staples affable personality radiated around the hall.

It's certainly difficult to draw a highlight from a show full of highlights but Freedom Highway was a seriously jaw dropping moment as Staples recalled her experience in the days of the Civil Rights Movement and drew on those passions and raw emotion to deliver a song so utterly moving and powerful that the crowd remained transfixed throughout. This is what music is all about.

With old classics I'll Take You There and Let`s Do It Again nestled alongside new songs Little Bit and Love and Trust nostalgia mixed with a freshness that an artist well over 50 years into a recording career really shouldn't have. Staples, however, is no ordinary artist and the word “legend” is well and truly deserved for one of the finest voices America has ever produced.