With a prog rock hangover in full effect, many listeners sought out friendlier melodies and more accessible lyrical storytelling as the '80s blew in. Everyone from Phil Collins to Fleetwood Mac to Don Henley was consistently operating at a high level throughout the decade, allowing soft rock to branch out and establish itself very much as its own scene independent of heavier, more conventional rock sounds.īudding in the late '70s already, many of the key acts involved in its growth only further perfected their craft in the '80s. "Is it a one time dream, or a country queen that you take me for?" she sings, turning her heel in those best boots of hers.When it comes to a particular era of public interest and commercial success, it's hard to argue against the '80s being soft rock's peak period. As she leaves this one behind, recognizing that in this dance she's only a stranger's projection, Williamson repossesses herself. But her voice, as poignant as Linda Ronstadt's singing a Karla Bonoff song, dwells in the loneliness that even the most exciting casual encounter can produce. It's all conjecture and desire and hesitation and "I want to, but I can't make you, man." The music has a slowed-down " Boys of Summer" quality: it's one long swoon propelled by synthesizers so unobtrusive they recall the whispering electronic system powering a Tesla, the kind of car this fancy new paramour of Williamson's might drive.
Their intimacy comes easy, but in a flash they're so far apart. The song's lyrics about a casual but intense encounter follow suit: her tongue is in this new lover's mouth and the windows are down, but then they are barely holding hands.
"Take me for a ride," she wails in this soft-rock reverie's chorus, "all tangled inside." In that phrase, set to a descending melody, she surrenders and holds back at the same time. That's typical fare for a singer-songwriter, but the native Texan, now splitting her time between Marfa and Los Angeles, writes from such a holistic perspective that a listener can empathize from head to toe.
Jess Williamson made her incandescent fifth album Time Ain't Accidental during a transitional time in her life, as a longtime romantic and creative partnership dwindled and a brief single phase gave way to a new love. Your feet might even feel different inside your boots. When you change, your whole body changes with you.
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