As a singer, Amy Dalley compares favorably with the likes of Natalie Maines and Miranda Lambert; as a songwriter, her whip-smart lyrics and invariably hook-laden melodies set her apart from her peers; and It’s Timemakes the case for her talent and her tenacity. This long-delayed debut album emphasizes both her tough and tender sides to favorable effect. “Men Don’t Change” (a mid-chart hit in 2004) is a rousing feminine anthem, filled with hard-won knowledge and glimmers of hope. Dalley’s persona as an independent Southern woman likewise informs the feisty “I Built This Wall” and the sober “Let’s Try Goodbye.” She struts confidently into honky-tonk territory on the simmering “That’s All I Better Say About That” and dives into the throes of love on the near-giddy “He Makes Me Wanna.” “The Bitter End” (a sultry piano-centered number) and “I Think You’re Beautiful” (a heartfelt valentine to a working-class spouse) are ballads of unusual craft and sincerity. It’s Time signals that Dalley’s moment in the spotlight may finally have arrived.