The singer/songwriter's first album of original material in more than three years, "Promised Land," is due Sept. 9. Produced by Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins), the new set covers a wide range of social and political topics, and features guest artists including Marshall Crenshaw, Suzanne Vega and Gary Louris from the Jayhawks.

Williams said she faced her usual challenge when writing "Promised Land"--that is, what not to say.

"On this [album], I was paring the stories down to their core," she explained in her bio. "I wanted the songs to sound simple and down to what they were meant to be, which is hard to do. It takes a lot of knowledge to get to the point where you can say what you need to say--no more, no less."

The 12-track set, Williams' seventh studio album, also includes two covers: Fountains of Wayne's "Troubled Times" and "Midnight Radio" from the stage musical and film "Hedwig and the Angry Itch."

The performer, who started her career on the Northeast coffeehouse circuit 15 years ago, released her first-ever live DVD, "Live at Bearsville Theater," last October. The collection captures a two-night stand in Woodstock, NY, and features the tune "The Easy Way" from the forthcoming album, as well a rendition of The Grateful Dead's "Ripple."

Williams' most recent studio effort, 2005's "My Better Self," made it onto The Billboard 200 chart. The set comprises original material alongside a handful of covers, including Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and a rendition of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," which is streaming at the singer's MySpace page.

In addition to her music career, Williams is a children's book author and a dedicated social and political activist.