Jess Williamson

A Mile South of Heaven is the album Jess Williamson was destined to make. The Texas native, who grew up in Dallas and now splits her time between Los Angeles and Marfa, has long experimented with country and western sounds. Historically, Williamson has refracted the genre’s alluring melodies, sonic rusticity and plainspoken poetry through mystical and alt-pop prisms, as heard on her critically-acclaimed solo albums Time Ain’t Accidental (2023) and Sorceress (2020). Now, A Mile South of Heaven is her most twang-forward solo album to date, bringing largely traditional music to the center of the frame without sacrificing the mysticism, emotional depth and indie sensibility that have long defined her work. Her sixth solo record, the album reaches a new artistic peak for Williamson as both a songwriter and singer. The songs draw from the emotional directness of Lucinda Williams, the character-driven storytelling of Guy Clark and the deep introspection of Leonard Cohen, while her voice recalls the earthen timbre of Emmylou Harris. Produced by Shooter Jennings at the famed Studio 3 at Sunset Sound in LA, it chronicles the journey of a woman as she excavates and arranges her most recent tender moments. When paired with Jennings’ organic approach to recording, a crack studio band, and accents of steel guitar, fiddle and banjo, the bold colors, sparkly accents and jagged edges of Williamson’s story songs form a striking and potent display.