Iris DeMent began writing songs for her seventh album, Workin’ on a World, in 2016. She was devastated by the November election. The singer-songwriter took refuge and inspiration in music. Early in 2017, she was out in the streets of Iowa City protesting against Donald Trump’s travel ban. She delivered a new track to the crowd, “We Won’t Keep Quiet”, that robustly captured the spirit of the demonstrators.
Unfortunately, that tune is not included in DeMent’s new release, as it is an excellent song. We are lucky to have new music by DeMent at all. She began working on recording the album back in 2019. In DeMent’s opinion, something was just not working. She put the tapes away until fellow musician (and stepdaughter) Pieta Brown asked what had happened to the recordings. DeMent sent the stuff to Brown, who realized the music’s value. Brown re-enlisted some other musicians who had previously worked on it and texted DeMent, “You have a record, and it’s called Workin’ on a World.” DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022.
Brown deserves thanks for her efforts. This music is too good not to be shared. DeMent sings and writes from the heart. The 13 songs are powerful statements of love and indictments of bad behavior. DeMent both names and describes the deeds of whom she considers the heroes and villains from our recent past. For example, she calls ex-President George W. Bush (“Like that president who lied about WMD / Hundreds of thousands of people / Are lying in their graves”) a war criminal and praises Minnesota peace activist Rachel Corrie who was run over by an Israeli tank during a Palestinian protest. Her views may seem extreme on the surface, but DeMent’s commitment to a better world for all consistently comes across.
DeMent has a distinctive voice that evokes old-time, rural church music. When she sings, her voice rings in the air like a broken piece of crystal with a Southern accent, atoning her sins and praising the lord. Amen. She shows off her chops on songs like the self-consciously pretty ballad “The Cherry Orchard” (based on the play by Anton Chekov), where her vocals take the prominent role as she flutters from note to note. Her virtuoso intonations and drawl have a life of their own!
Speaking of church music, DeMent includes a song written in tribute to Mahalia Jackson called “Mahalia”. The gospel singer is honored for her strength and motivation. DeMent ends the track with, “You were a woman, too”, to reveal the particular hardships Mahalia faced without backing down. DeMent cites another religious voice, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., on “How Long”, as she laments that “power, greed, and profit will never feed the soul”. Pow! She delivers her sermon hard and straight. It should be noted that her husband, Greg Brown, and Pieta Brown also contributed to the songwriting of different cuts.
While DeMent may moan against the world’s evils, Workin’ on a World offers an optimistic message. We can change the world! We can find encouragement in the stories of heroes (“Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love”) that came before us. We must recognize that we live in the present moment, just as holy and important as any other time (“The Sacred Now”). DeMent defiantly sings she is “workin’ on a world I never may see”. She knows that change may be slow to come, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to change the world for the better.