The first release from the album, “Shame on the Devil,” is a perfect introduction to the spirit of Dark Times . For Staples, the song is a personal achievement. “It’s me mastering some things I’ve tried before that I wasn’t great at in the beginning,” he says. “It’s a testament to musical growth, song structure—all the good stuff.” The track features Staples rapping over a warm, spectral beat, ruminating on how anointed his life is now, in spite of bouts of loneliness and fallouts with friends. “Mission complete, out of the mud, labeled a ‘leader” they following cuz,” he raps. “Light on my feet, floating above/I don’t be creeping or keeping in touch.”