Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, a husband-and-wife team, draw on their own experiences to write and perform songs about top-notch romance on their most recent album, "All This Time."
Their 35-year marriage—he hails from New York City and she from Peckerwood Point, Tennessee—was "love at first note," as Williams puts it, and their musical collaboration has flourished with the publication of four duet albums. As a passionate and emotional ode to the strength of love, whether permanent or temporary, "All This Time" stands head and shoulders above the rest.
On Friday, the set—which Campbell produced—will be published. Campbell also penned seven of the ten tracks. It has its origins in his friendship with Williams and in the old country traditions, which are fervently celebrated on a George Jones cover of "That's All It Took."
Laughter, confidence, soaring harmonies, and Campbell's guitar temper sentimentality and nostalgia. Even when he covers Eric Clapton or plays Southern rock chords, his playing has a subtle grace that makes it stand out. On the funky "The Way You Make Me Feel," his solo brings laughter to the audience.
Bill Payne, the pianist from Little Feat, and Levon Helm, who played the drums on "That's All It Took" before his 2012 death, are members of the backing band. The delicate essence of flirting, faithfulness, and other love songs are set against grandiose orchestration.
On the hymn to simple joy, "A Little Better," Campbell sings of her impending life-threatening struggle with COVID-19 in 2020. The emotional center is a pounding duet on Julie Miller's "I Love You," if for no other reason than the title.
Among the other notable tracks are the New Orleans-influenced shuffle "I Think About You," the enticing ballad "Ride with Me," and the honky-tonkin' working-class hymn "We Done Earned It," whose lyrics rhyme "steak supreme" with "château du vin."
It should come as no surprise that Campbell and Williams trade lead vocals and sound fantastic when they sing together. A good marriage is all about harmony, after all.
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