Famed country music songwriter Harlan Howard is often credited as the source of the phrase “three chords and the truth” to describe the essential ingredients of a country western song. Throughout country folk singer Jess Williamson’s performance at the Turf Club Saturday night, the wisdom of this simple guideline felt particularly pertinent. Playing on a sparse stage and singing over simple melodies, Williamson cut away the frills to focus on poignant, sweeping lyricism and bring her audience along for an emotional journey.

Before Williamson took the stage, early attendees nodded appreciatively in time as local singer-songwriter Sam Cassidy gently crooned and strummed his guitar. All seated and turned slightly inward towards one another, Cassidy and his band gave off the casual and comfortable impression of a group of friends jamming together, rather than of a band opening for a nationally-recognized performer. Despite the scattered crowd, the group earned whistles of appreciation for their intricate and expressive soloing, particularly for the talents of the bassist Rob Skoro and keyboardist Aaron “Hix” Lee. Speaking conversationally with the audience in between songs, Cassidy himself spoke effusively about his admiration for Williamson’s work, expressing gratitude for the constant companionship and solace her 2020 release Sorceress had provided throughout the early lockdowns of the pandemic. 

In fact, it was these early days of March 2020 that produced the present day Jess Williamson sound. There was breakup with her romantic partner and musical collaborator as the pandemic began, and then a fractured album cycle after Sorceress tour dates were canceled. Williamson had unexpected time and newfound creative latitude. This time not only bore out the super-duo Plains with Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield, but it also ushered in a new version of Williamson. She embraced the freedom to take on music on her own terms, trusting the machinations of fate to bring her to where she’s supposed to be.

Williamson alerted her audience to this shift, allowing the first orchestral verses of Enya’s “Only Time” to sweep through the darkened club for several moments before taking the stage with her band. The simple addition of this audio cue felt like a dedication to create a well-rounded performance, applying a keen eye to even the smallest opportunities to enhance the show. 

Not only was this new version of Williamson evident thematically, but it was also noticeable sonically. At her November 2022 performance with Plains, Williamson boldly embraced her country influences and sang with an impassioned Southern accent. Despite kicking off the show with Sorceress’ “As the Birds Are,” Williamson abandoned the subdued tone in which she had originally recorded the song in favor of the same soaring country-tinged vocals. Either a residual effect of her vocal stylings from Plains or a full return to her Texas roots, the addition of the accent added unique texture to the songs that conjured images of vast Western landscapes.

Williamson conversed lightly with the crowd between songs, offering compliments on the interior of the Turf Club as well as listening to a brief guide to the qualities of “Minnesota Nice.” “I must not be very nice then,” she declared upon learning of the unspoken “don’t take the last piece” rule. 

Over her 75-minute set, Williamson shared several released and unreleased tracks set to be featured on Time Ain’t Accidental, out June 9, 2023. Her 2020 breakup acted as the centerpiece for the new tracks, focusing many on numerous facets of love: the giddiness of new love, the discomfort of looking for love, and the ache of missing an old lover. She’s hardly the first to delve into the emotion, especially within country music, but the earnestness behind her voice presented new depth to the topic. On the title track, she explored the possibilities of a new relationship, singing “Leaving tomorrow, I don’t have to I just should / Once in a while, it’s nice to be good / Odessa in an hour, call home about midday / But I’m soaked in your power / Wanna turn around and stay.” Williamson didn’t have to overpower the audience with volume or flashy guitar work to captivate the room — listeners were enraptured simply by the rich, emotionally evocative nature of her lyrics. 

Perhaps just as powerful as her lyricism was her ability to employ a simple melody shift to completely rewrite the meaning of her music. Whether this is a planned tactic to differentiate herself from her sound on other projects or simply an opportunity to create distinctive tracks for this tour, the effect was stunning. Done primarily to songs recorded with Plains, slight adjustments to guitar or percussion seemed to radically alter the music. “Abilene,” a song originally describing lost love too painful to even discuss, suddenly became the story of a place that’s just a speck in the rearview mirror with the adjustment of acoustic to electric guitar and a tempo increase. Rather than being off-putting, the changes felt like a natural evolution, as though Williamson had decided to perform the track in accordance with how she felt in the moment rather than how she might have felt when she had penned it originally. 

The most show-stopping example of this shift came with “I Walked with You a Ways” during her encore. Returning to the stage alone and accompanied only by her guitar, Williamson slowed the Plains title track to become a heart-wrenching acknowledgment of gratitude to those who had once been a part of her life and for what they brought to her life. “On the winding path of life / Sometimes you walk alone / Cause people come and go / There’s a season for each one / They’ll change your heart and then it’s done / Well I’ll be better all my days / ‘Cause I walked with you a ways,” she sang. The club was silent for her performance, completely enveloped in the emotional tenor of her words. 

She closed out her show simply with an upbeat rendition of “Wind on Tin.” Fans drew nearer as she climbed over amps toward the edge of the stage, singing directly to the rapt audience. As the house lights came up, a dense queue of fans quickly formed in front of the merch booth, eager for a chance to meet Williamson after the show. 

Saturday’s performance may have been Williamson’s first headlining show in the Twin Cities, but it’s safe to say it won’t be her last. By combining honest and personal storytelling with simple, meaningful melodies, Williamson spoke directly to the emotions of her audience and simply told her truth. 

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Setlist 

As the Birds Are

Chasing Spirits

Pictures of Flowers

Topanga Two Step

God in Everything

Tobacco Two Step

Roads

Angel from Montgomery (John Prine)

Time Ain’t Accidental

Abilene (Plains) 

Hunter

Encore

I Walked with You a Ways (Plains)

Wind on Tin