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Lucinda Williams Announces New Album, ‘World’s Gone Wrong,’ Due in January; Check Out Lead Single, Featuring Brittney Spencer

[American Songwriter]

Lucinda Williams has announced plans to release a new studio album, World’s Gone Wrong, in 2026. The 10-track collection is due out on January 23, and includes collaborations with Brittney Spencer, Mavis Staples, and Norah Jones.

According to an official description of World’s Gone Wrong, the album features a variety of topical songs that are “a pure reflection of our very turbulent times, intense and musically powerful.” World’s Gone Wrong includes nine original tunes, plus a cover of Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble in the World.”

Williams has released the album’s first track, “The World’s Gone Wrong,” as an advance digital single. It’s one of two songs featuring guest vocals by Spencer. The introspective roots-rock tune finds Williams singing about working-class Americans who are struggling in today’s economic and social climate.

Lucinda debuted a black-and-white performance video for the song on her official YouTube channel. The clip was shot at the famous West Hollywood, California, venue the Troubadour.

Spencer also appears on a track titled “Something’s Gotta Give.” Staples, meanwhile, sings on “So Much Trouble in the World.” Jones contributed backing vocals and piano the album’s final track, “We’ve Come Too Far to Turn Around.”

World’s Gone Wrong can be pre-ordered now. It’s available on CD, as a vinyl LP, and via digital formats. A limited-edition version of the LP, pressed on natural-color vinyl, can be purchased from Williams’ online store.

More About World’s Gone Wrong

World’s Gone Wrong is Williams’ first primarily original studio album since 2023’s Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart. More recently, the acclaimed singer/songwriter released the live covers collection Lu’s Jukebox Vol. 7 – Lucinda Williams Sings the Beatles from Abbey Road in December 2024.

World’s Gone Wrong was co-produced by Tom Overby and Williams’ frequent collaborator Ray Kennedy. The album also was mixed by Kennedy, and was recorded at his Room & Board Studio in Nashville.

A press statement about the album calls it “a wake-up call and a battle cry, finding beauty, grit, and grace in a world on edge.”

Williams’ Upcoming Tour Plans

Williams currently has about 20 confirmed concerts scheduled in 2026. Her itinerary begins with a series of nine shows in the U.K. and Ireland in late January and early February.

She’ll then hit the road with Heart as the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s opening act. Lucinda will support the band from a February 15 concert in Duluth, Georgia, through a March 15 gig in Fishers, Indiana.

Williams also will be taking part in the 2026 Outlaw Country Cruise, which runs from March 15 to March 20. Visit LucindaWilliams.com for more details about her tour schedule.

World’s Gone Wrong Track List:

  1. “The World’s Gone Wrong” (featuring Brittney Spencer)
  2. “Something’s Gotta Give” (featuring Brittney Spencer)
  3. “Low Life”
  4. “How Much Did You Get for Your Soul”
  5. “So Much Trouble in the World” (featuring Mavis Staples)
  6. “Sing Unburied Sing”
  7. “Black Tears”
  8. “Punchline”
  9. “Freedom Speaks”
  10. “We’ve Come Too Far to Turn Around” (featuring Norah Jones)