Good Souls Better Angels

Good Souls Better Angels is the 14th studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released on April 24, 2020, by Highway 20 Records and Thirty Tigers.

Good Souls Better Angels
A black-and-white photo of Williams' face with her hand upturned to cover her forehead
Studio album by
Lucinda Williams
ReleasedApril 24, 2020 (2020-04-24)
RecordedSeptember–November 2019[1]
StudioRoom and Board Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
GenreAmericana, Heartland rock
Length59:49
LanguageEnglish
Label
Producer
  • Ray Kennedy
  • Tom Overby
  • Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams chronology
Vanished Gardens
(2018)		 Good Souls Better Angels
(2020)		 Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart
(2023)

Announced in February 2020, the album was preceded by the track "Man Without a Soul", a critique of Donald Trump,[2] which earned Williams a Grammy Award nomination for Best American Roots Song.[3] The album received widespread critical acclaim, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1⁄10[4]
Metacritic84⁄100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
American Songwriter[7]
Exclaim!8⁄10[8]
The Irish Times[9]
Mojo[10]
Pitchfork8.0⁄10[11]
Q[12]
Uncut[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Tom HullA−[15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Good Souls Better Angels received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 17 critic scores.[5] AnyDecentMusic? sums up critical consensus as an 8.1 out of 10, with 19 reviews.[4] Joe Breen of The Irish Times gave the release five out of five stars, writing that it "punch[es] with a dark, almost biblical vengeance but also, importantly, balance vitriol with solace, hellfire with a hand in need" and praising its timely lyrics.[9] In American Songwriter, Hal Horowitz gave the release 4.5 out of five stars, writing that it is arguably her most intense album, ending his review: "By the end of the hour, you'll be wiped out. This is a devastatingly in your face, take no prisoners presentation from Williams and her band that will leave most serious listeners shattered and perhaps shaking. Few albums connect with this much pure emotional fury, let alone those from artists well into their 60s."[7] Dan Nailen of Inlander writes that this album has Williams' most direct lyrics but suffers from several songs having the same tempo.[16]

Accolades for Good Souls Better Angels
Publication Accolade Rank
Mojo[17] Top 75 Albums of 2020 38
Paste[18] Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year 14
Pitchfork[19] The 35 Best Rock Albums of 2020 *
Rolling Stone[20] Best Albums of 2020 47
Star Tribune[21] Bream's 10 Best Albums 7
Award nominations for Good Souls Better Angels
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
2021[3] Grammy Awards Good Souls Better Angels Best Americana Album Nominated
"Man Without a Soul" Best American Roots Song Nominated

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. All songs written by Tom Overby and Lucinda Williams, except where noted.[22]

  1. "You Can't Rule Me" (Memphis Minnie adaptation from the original composition) – 4:02
  2. "Bad News Blues" – 4:37
  3. "Man Without a Soul" – 5:31
  4. "Big Black Train" – 5:28
  5. "Wakin' Up" (Williams) – 4:44
  6. "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" – 5:38
  7. "Shadows & Doubts" – 6:01
  8. "When the Way Gets Dark" – 3:27
  9. "Bone of Contention" (Williams) – 4:05
  10. "Down Past the Bottom" (Greg Garing) – 3:21
  11. "Big Rotator" – 5:20
  12. "Good Souls" – 7:35

Personnel
  • Lucinda Williams – acoustic and electric guitar, vocals, production
  • Mark T. Jordan – organ on "Big Black Train" and "Shadows & Doubts"
  • Ray Kennedy – mixing, production
  • Brian Lucey – mastering
  • Stuart Mathis – guitar, violin
  • Butch Norton – drums, percussion
  • Tom Overby – production
  • David Sutton – bass guitar

Charts
Chart performance for Good Souls Better Angels
Chart (2020) Peak
Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 59
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 24
French Albums (SNEP)[25] 197
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] 33
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 21
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 30
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[30] 1
UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)[31] 1
US Billboard 200[32] 144
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[33] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[34] 20
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[35] 21

See also

References
  1. "70 Most Anticipated Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. January 8, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  2. Hudak, Joseph (February 4, 2020). "Lucinda Williams Previews New Album with Scathing 'Man Without a Soul'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  3. "Artist: Lucinda Williams". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  4. "Good Souls Better Angels by Lucinda Williams". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  5. "Critic Reviews for Good Souls Better Angels". Metacritic. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  6. Deming, Mark. "Lucinda Williams Good Souls Better Angels". AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  7. Horowitz, Hal (April 20, 2020). "Lucinda Williams Searing Set Delivered with Chilling Intensity". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  8. Mullin, Kyle (April 23, 2020). "Lucinda Williams Pulverizes the Satanic on 'Good Souls Better Angels'". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  9. Breen, Joe (April 10, 2020). "Lucinda Williams: Good Souls Better Angels Review – The Tonic the World Needs". The Irish Times. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  10. "Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels". Mojo. June 2020. p. 88.
  11. Sodomsky, Sam (April 28, 2020). "Lucinda Williams Good Souls Better Angels". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  12. "Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels". Q. June 2020. p. 108.
  13. "Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels". Uncut. May 2020. p. 35.
  14. "Lucinda Williams, Good Souls Better Angels". Rolling Stone. May 5, 2020. p. 89.
  15. Hull, Tom (April 28, 2020). "Music Week". Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  16. Nailen, Dan (May 21, 2020). "From Hayley Williams to Lucinda Williams, Here Are Some of the New Albums We're Enjoying Right Now". Inlander. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  17. "Mojo's Top 75 Albums of 2020". Brooklyn Vegan. November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  18. "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Paste. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  19. "The 35 Best Rock Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  20. "Best Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. December 4, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  21. "Best music of the worst year: Our music critics' favorite albums and songs of 2020". Star Tribune. December 18, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  22. Lucinda Williams (2020). Good Souls Better Angels (booklet). Highway 20 Records.
  23. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 11 May 2020". No. 1575. Australian Recording Industry Association. May 11, 2020. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  25. "Top Albums (Week 18, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  27. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  30. "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  31. "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  32. "Lucinda Williams Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  33. "Lucinda Williams Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  34. "Lucinda Williams Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  35. "Lucinda Williams Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
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