Texas-born, LA-based singer-songwriter Jess Williamson’s 2023 album Time Ain’t Accidental is a modern vision for what country music can represent. There’s drum machines, Raymond Carver and sexual references, and that’s just track 1. Hers is a mode of songwriting that is distinctly contemporary, sophisticated and adventurous. Country has always been a musical modality for the underclass, the daydreamers and the day labourers. Twang or twain, town or country, souped-up pickup or hail-damaged Kia Sportage, what matters is honest expression and a graceful lack of pretense, a distinction to which Williamson has few equals. Her versatility and lyrical realism have classic country roots, but her creative community skews indie, working with Hand Habits to build out the texture of the songs. The craft is markedly more experimental, incorporating a contemporary instrumental sensibility providing a counterpoint to her recognizably country vocal styling. Her most definitive collaboration is that with fellow indie-Americana artist Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee on the brilliant full-length I Walked With You a Ways released under the moniker: Plains. It’s a lighter and prettier offering than some of Williamson’s edgier songwriting inclinations, but just as brilliant. Catch a glimpse of her process and her media diet on her Substack ‘Cosmic Wink,’ or just catch her many wonderful songs from her country catalogue. - Liam Prost