Sex, Smoke, And Spirits

Endless prairies and ocean waves; long drives and highway expanse; dancing, smoke, sex, and physical desire – the core images of Jess Williamson’s new album Time Ain’t Accidental revel in the earthly and the carnal. After a protracted breakup with a romantic partner and longtime musical collaborator who left Williamson and their home in Los Angeles at the start of the pandemic, the album’s reckoning with loss, isolation, romance, and personal reclamation signals a tectonic shift for Williamson as a person and as an artist: from someone who once accommodated and made herself small to a woman emboldened by her power as an individual.

At home and on the battlefield, the leaders of ancient Rome knew their world was filled with signs from the gods, messages they needed to obey if they wanted success. Yes, they developed a well-oiled political and military machine, but they never made big decisions or went to battle without their priests and diviners.