Album Review: Lucinda Williams, World’s Gone Wrong

World’s Gone Wrong is the type of record that restores faith that rock and roll might just outlast the current state of chassis in global politics. The title track cracks open the record, speaking directly to the hard-pressed ordinary citizen, rousing them with the knowledge they’re not alone.

Williams doubles down on such sentiments on ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ – simultaneously a filthy blues stomp, pugnacious polemic and dire warning – aided by a superb Brittney Spencer vocal.

The ZZ Top-style blues fuzz of ‘Sing Unburied Sing’ is marvellous, trundling the record into the Mississippi Blues sprawl of ‘Black Tears’ – a portent end-of-days omen complete with wicked Hammond organ.

‘Punchline’ castigates “two-faced masters tricking the lost souls”, in a world fast spinning out of control, before ‘Freedom Speaks’ rallies the resistance. The fine protest song ‘We’ve Come Too Far To Turn Around’ wraps up proceedings – a cocktail of blues, gospel, rock and some mean piano by none other than Norah Jones. Mighty stuff.

9/10