Iris DeMent- Workin’ On A World
Label: Flariella
Producers: Iris DeMent, Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, Jim Rooney
Three decades ago, Iris DeMent barreled onto the indie country and folk scenes with the brash twang and pointed lyricism of Loretta Lynn, combined with the politically tinged protest spirit of Joan Baez, and in the process became one of the most underrated and vital voices of the modern music world. This is her first record since 2015, a time many of us would romanticize now as quaint and ideal compared to the eight years that have followed. Regardless, DeMent is the type of narrative voice made to sing about the troubled times defining the late 2010s and early 2020s, so she has plenty of matters to unpack on Workin’ On A World. This album immediately demonstrates that the best and most graceful qualities of DeMent’s work have not faded. She doesn’t just bitch about the world’s problems with a bemoaning doom & gloom outlook. On the soul-garnished opening title track, she vows and encourages us all to put in the work necessary to improve our societal circumstances, reminding us that our predecessors did the same with equally challenging barriers, not to mention fewer resources and opportunity to see their results. She manages to tackle the issue of gun violence with her trademark Prine-inspired morbid humor on “Goin’ Down to Sing in Texas”, while still getting her important and heavy point across. This segues into the poetic “Say A Good Word”, a plea for kindness in a culture where there are very few of us left that haven’t allowed our politics or social views to damage at least one of our otherwise close relationships. As is standard for DeMent’s music, these tracks successfully evoke emotions of anger, laughter, fear, and hope. And that’s just the first three tracks. These high standards continue throughout the heady, human material that follows as World progresses, with many other cornerstones abounding, among them the sardonic pledge to live life to the fullest in “Nothin’ for the Dead”, and “Warriors of Love”, a stirring homage to everyday people who have sacrificed their own priorities for the greater good of society. It’d be remiss to not also mention the sheer greatness of the pure musicality of this record as well. The musicianship captured here by DeMent and her producers and players, a rich blend of beautiful country steel, charming parlor piano, and glowing soul brass, sounds positively marvelous and boldly enriches the stories being told. Contemporaries from DeMent’s generation (Mary Chapin Carpenter specifically comes to mind) should take note for their latter-day work, that it’s still possible to craft folk-tinged music with a message that is also sonically fulfilling. If Workin’ On A World can achieve one fact that everyone agrees upon, it’s this: nobody is accomplishing that lofty feat with greater conviction and vigor than Iris DeMent.
Track Listing:
- “Workin’ On A World” (Iris DeMent)
- “Goin’ Down to Sing In Texas” (DeMent)
- “Say A Good Word” (DeMent)
- “The Sacred Now” (DeMent, Pieta Brown)
- “I Won’t Ask You Why” (DeMent and P. Brown)
- “Warriors of Love” (DeMent)
- “Let Me Be Your Jesus” (DeMent and Greg Brown)
- “The Cherry Orchard” (DeMent)
- “Nothin’ for the Dead” (DeMent)
- “Mahalia” (DeMent)
- “How Long” (DeMent)
- “Walkin’ Daddy” (G. Brown)
- “Waycross, Georgia” (G. Brown and Samuel E. Mann)
The 706 
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