The challenge of writing about what makes Heather Anne Lomax’s All This Time so good is that her recipe is so simple. She has a huge voice, great songs, and unadorned production. But there’s nothing basic about this beautiful album which is built upon perfect performances that don’t waste a note, while also making you feel almost completely overwhelmed by the majesty of the songs.
Lomax, previously known as Michael-Ann, shares this simple-yet-grand quality with Johnny Cash, although Lomax’s voice has more of June Carter Cash’s bombast than Johnny’s. All This Time somehow takes the simplicity of Cash’s sound with his classic band, the Tennessee Three, adds more traditional country touches, like fiddles, but then finishes things off by injecting the whole album with a rock and roll energy. The final product sounds so magically natural, you’re going to wonder why more artists aren’t doing this kind of music.
Of course, the answer to that question is Lomax. Her songwriting but also her larger-than-life voice, which often feels like it’s going to envelop you and take you away, a giant wave coming out of your headphones to grab you. However, she’s kept in check by a fantastic band that’s tapped into that old-school tightrope of making the featured artist sound as good as possible while also, but secondarily, showing off their own talents. Lomax’s band has the chops to walk this line, which is what makes the performances so memorable.
“Better Luck” opens with an Appalachian fiddle riff which quickly gives way to an acoustic strum that’s the American country version of George Michael’s “Faith” (which was really just the Bo Diddley beat anyway). Her voice is so big and soulful that it almost sounds like the band is coming all the way from another album. The effect is similar to when two cars arrive at a stoplight with their windows down, both blasting different songs that somehow perfectly fit over each other. Aubrey Richmond lays down a beautiful violin break that’s a song within a song even as the guitar transitions into rock and roll distortion. The track is magnificent but also organic, the energy of a live show married to the precision of the studio.
“Comfort Me” is a spiritual ballad, taking some of Cash’s “Ring of Fire” melody and slowing it down. Like “Better Luck,” this builds gradually, drums and cymbals evoking a storm and Zachary Ross’s guitar providing a beacon of light for Lomax to follow as she sings about the loss of her mother. The title track also conjures “Ring of Fire,” but Lomax and her band are manic, flirting with rockabilly.
The thing about Lomax is her vocal tone. You don’t just hear her but you feel her. But she doesn’t lean on her gift. Instead, she’s crafted 11 compelling tracks that are mostly rooted in country but go beyond that genre’s borders. The result is an album that dazzles with flawless execution and a tireless commitment to the music.
