Review Summary: Texas in the rearview, Plains in my heart
Plains is a duo comprised of Katie Crutchfield (best known by her stage moniker Waxahatchee) and Jess Williamson. As their one-off collaborative work,
I Walked With You A Ways adopts a low-key approach, with the album artwork’s display of the two women sitting next to a road against a classic Western backdrop setting the stage for an album steeped in traditional country stylings. The album (mostly) lacks the catchiness of
Saint Cloud or the pillowy dreaminess of
Sorceress, instead leaning on mellow and easy-going vibes. The songs are, without fail, at least decent, but only a few stand out as excellent, notably “Problem With It”, which serves as a solid nod to some of Waxahatchee’s recent upbeat bangers, and “Abilene”, touching in its rich lamentations. The real highlight, though, is the title track’s sentimental musing on a lost lover or friend or relative, simple but gorgeous and drenched in honeyed harmonies. It’s the best thing here by a substantial margin, its bittersweet emotion demonstrating the potent strengths of country music as an art form. The song’s position as the closer provides a great sendoff to the album, but simultaneously also emphasizes the somewhat underwhelming nature of most of the tracklist.
I Walked With You A Ways is undoubtedly a solid album, and you could do much worse if looking for a straightforward and accessible record in the country/Americana sphere, but it proves a touch disappointing, given the more impressive recent output from both singer-songwriters involved.
