Good Souls Better Angels

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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)

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.

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

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1⁄10[4]
Metacritic84⁄100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[6]
American SongwriterStarStarStarStarHalf star[7]
Exclaim!8⁄10[8]
The Irish TimesStarStarStarStarStar[9]
MojoStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[10]
Pitchfork8.0⁄10[11]
QStarStarStarStarStar[12]
UncutStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[13]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[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 Ref.
Mojo Top 75 Albums of 2020 38 [17]
Paste Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year 14 [18]
Pitchfork The 35 Best Rock Albums of 2020 * [19]
Rolling Stone Best Albums of 2020 47 [20]
Star Tribune Bream's 10 Best Albums 7 [21]
Award nominations for Good Souls Better Angels
Year Award Nominated work Category Result Ref.
2021 Grammy Awards Good Souls Better Angels Best Americana Album Nominated [3]
"Man Without a Soul" Best American Roots Song Nominated

Track listing

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All songs written by Tom Overby and Lucinda Williams, except where noted.[22]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
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"Williams4:44
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"Williams4:05
10."Down Past the Bottom"Greg Garing3:21
11."Big Rotator" 5:20
12."Good Souls" 7:35
Total length:59:49

Personnel

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  • 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

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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 Americana/Folk Albums (Billboard)[33] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[34] 20
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[35] 21

See also

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References

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  24. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  25. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  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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