Twangier than most Americana, and at once more traditional and cooler than most contemporary country records, the first album from Plains—Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee and Texas singer-songwriter Jess Williamson—is what would've been called "alt country" 25 years ago, before that catch-all fell out of style. It immediately feels as comfortable as a perfectly worn-in old denim jacket. There are shades of both artists' solo work, for sure: Opener "Summer Sun" is as breezy and welcoming as Waxahatchee's excellent "Can't Do Much," with the added bonus of Williamson (not to mention evocative scene-setting: "When the summer sun melts candles/ I dig out the wick"). The two reference a slew of great duos, including Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham—both in vocal harmony and guitar—on the groovy break-up song "Problem With It": "If it's all you got, yeah/ It's all you gave/ I got a problem with it/ If you can't do better than that, babe/ I got a problem with it," they sing, even the lyrics befitting Fleetwood Mac. Crystal-clear "No Record of Wrongs" recalls the unjustly overlooked Belle Brigade (who themselves often sounded like a Buckingham-Christine McVie tribute band), while "Hurricane" echoes The Wreckers, with Williamson and Crutchfield sounding charmed on lines like "I come in like a cannonball/ I've been that way my whole life/ Sweet as honeysuckle/ When you want a pocket knife." "Bellafatima," with its romantic border-country swoon, is something like Freakwater polished to a high-brass sheen. Expanding the ranks, drawling and warm-hearted "Line of Sight" brings to mind The Chicks. Ballad "Easy" offers a balm of pragmatic, chin-up reassurance: "You're not going to believe it/ When you shake off/ What's weighing down heavily/ But it's not going to be easy." And memorable "Abilene," which exudes a cool, The Band-style of country, probes the new American dream of escaping to an easier town and way of life—and trying to put the ache of breakup and "What if?" behind you when it doesn't work out. "Young lovers like to dream/ We'll settle down and make a good team/ The Main Street was cute and the rents there were cheap/ But I was too much for you and your Abilene," Williamson leads. Classify it as you will, but I Walked With You A Ways is the kind of country record that country music needs more of. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz