Songs like the ones Iris DeMent writes don’t come in a flash, but are a slow dawn, big enough to light the whole world. With an inimitable voice as John Prine described, “like you’ve heard, but not really,” and unforgettable melodies rooted in hymns, gospel, and old country music, Iris DeMent is simply one of the finest singer-songwriters in America as well as one of our fiercest advocates for human rights. Her new album Workin’ on a World is an album of love letters to the promise of a better future and to historical heroes like John Lewis, Jesus Christ, and Mahalia Jackson. DeMent’s legacy of engaging directly with a troubled era earned her the Americana Music Association’s Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Her 1992 debut Infamous Angel was recently named one of Rolling Stone’s greatest country albums of all time.