Jess Williamson
Sorceress
Release Date: May 15, 2020
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Folk
Record label: Mexican Summer
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Album Review: Sorceress by Jess Williamson
Great, Based on 7 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Written in LA, recorded in Brooklyn and finished at a home ranch in her native Texas, Williamson's latest record Sorceress encompasses the rich culture and defining sounds of these areas. From the touches of '80s cinema that are woven throughout the toe-tapping "Infinite Scroll" to the Western vibes that provide the backbone to the sultry and smooth "How Ya Lonesome," Sorceress intertwines these musical themes with the singer's modern day folk sound. While Williamson may have stayed true to her folk roots, her ambitions have certainly grown.
Based on rating 8/10
On "Sorceress," the titular track of Jess Williamson's fourth album of the same name, she croons, "Yes, there's a little magic in my hat, but I'm no sorceress. " Its lullaby-like atmosphere is about not running away from someone and accepting the limitations of human nature. Yet, a sorceress is exactly what Williamson resembles: a warm and enchanting presence that casts a spell on listeners and beckons them toward her.
Based on rating 7.5/10
Los Angeles by way of Texas singer/songwriter Jess Williamson has put forth her most confident and captivating outing yet in Sorceress. Unfortunately Sorceress’ spell is broken by a few ill placed tracks early on that keep the album from reaching the mesmerizing song cycle heights of her forebears—Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger and Nanci Griffith’s The Last of the True Believers come to mind. But Sorceress comes awfully close.
Based on rating 3.5
Jess Williamson may not be a household name just yet, but the Texan native is already on her fourth record in just six years. Sorceress, the follow up to 2018’s Cosmic Wink, has a timeless quality to it – it’s the sort of album that could have been produced at any time over the last 30 years, with its lush production and nods to a very earthy type of folk. Williamson has described this as her “mother album” (with the idea being that a woman’s life is divided into phases – “maiden, mother and crone” in Williamson’s own words).
Based on rating 7.0/10
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Based on rating 7/10
Sounding down-to-earth and ethereal at the same time doesn't come naturally for everyone, but Jess Williamson seems to have figured it out. She likes her hometown but isn't so happy with the ways it's changing, she's adverse to heartache and watching her exes get married, and she's proud of being a little unpredictable. She also sings about these things with a soft, breathy voice that makes the commonplace seem a little mysterious, and steps up her passion when she's thinking about God, lamenting the fate of undocumented immigrants, or trying to convince us there isn't anything truly magical about her.
Based on rating 7
Mixing witchcraft with country-western twang and dreamy pop-folk ballads, Jess Williamson's 'Sorceress' is an expansive, magical listening experience. The Texan-born singer songwriter's fourth album is a rose-tinted nostalgic listen. The poignant harmonies sound like a hybrid of Kacey Musgraves' vibrant country sound with Lana Del Rey's vintage, romanticized Americana aesthetic.
'Sorceress'
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