I Walked With You A Ways

When Jess Williamson was on tour opening for Kevin Morby and Hamilton Leithauser in 2021, she would occasionally invite a special guest: Katie Crutchfield, who was using her time off from Waxahatchee to hang out with Morby, who happens to be her date. . During the run, Williamson and Crutchfield would often sing a duet of “Abilene,” a new country-style waltz about the aftermath of love that unites their voices. A year later, that song serves as the centerpiece of Williamson and Crutchfield’s debut album, Plains. I walked with you a path it is a truly collaborative record; Williamson and Crutchfield share vocals (and each other’s pain) on 10 tracks, mostly about heartbreak. Plains picks up on the American-leaning indie sound that Crutchfield mined in his 2020 Saint Cloud career change, but adds a country twist, as the duo pay homage (in their own way) to the Shanias, Wynonnas, and Dollys they grew up listening to. Brad Cook, who also directed holy cloud, is back in the producer’s chair for this effort and some tracks, like the catchy “Problem With It” and the Dobro-driven “Line of Sight,” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on that set. But that ignores the contributions of Williamson, who finds a new path with his soaring, soaring voice, a contrast to his 2020 indie folk album Sorceress and Crutchfield’s raw, natural voice. Cook, his brother Phil and Spencer Tweedy form the backbone of the band, anchoring the jaunty arrangements, with just the right accent and polish to conjure a ’90s country sound. Morby helps out with a co-write on “Last 2 On Earth.” ” by Crutchfield, which sometimes slips into honky tonk territory. But while you can usually tell who wrote which song, particularly if you can recognize the lead vocal, it’s more rewarding to pay attention to the ways Williamson and Crutchfield mix and blend their voices in unison, as on “No Record of Wrongs.” “. .”