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

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.1⁄10 |
| Metacritic | 84⁄100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| American Songwriter | |
| Exclaim! | 8⁄10 |
| The Irish Times | |
| Mojo | |
| Pitchfork | 8.0⁄10 |
| Q | |
| Uncut | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Tom Hull | A− |
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. AnyDecentMusic? sums up critical consensus as an 8.1 out of 10, with 19 reviews. 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. 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." Dan Nailen of Inlander writes that this album has Williams' most direct lyrics but suffers from several songs having the same tempo.
Accolades for Good Souls Better Angels :
| Publication | Accolade | Rank |
| Mojo | Top 75 Albums of 2020 | 38 |
| Paste | Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | 14 |
| Pitchfork | The 35 Best Rock Albums of 2020 | * |
| Rolling Stone | Best Albums of 2020 | 47 |
| Star Tribune | Bream's 10 Best Albums | 7 |
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 | |
| 2021 | Grammy Awards | "Man Without a Soul" | Best American Roots Song | Nominated | |

## Track listing

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

## 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) | 59 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 24 |
| French Albums (SNEP) | 197 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 33 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 3 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 21 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 30 |
| UK Americana Albums (OCC) | 1 |
| UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC) | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 144 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard) | 3 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) | 20 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) | 21 |