Jesse Winchester Albums (14)
'Love Filling Station'
Release Date 4/21/2009
Tracks 12
Label Appleseed
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
While Jesse Winchester has earned an estimable reputation as a songwriter, when he was at the peak of his popularity in the 1970s he had a low profile as a live act, due to the fact he'd moved to Canada rather than be drafted into the United States military during the Vietnam War, effectively preventing him from playing in America. The shame of this was Winchester had a supple tenor voice and a dry but soulful delivery that was the perfect vehicle for his keenly observed observational songs, and as this disc shows, he could use them with skill in front of an audience. Live preserves a recording of Winchester in wry and enthusiastic form on-stage; the package includes no information as to when or where this was recorded, but Winchester's endorsement of Jimmy Carter in a rewritten version of "Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt" suggests this was recorded around 1977, and the band (also uncredited) sounds polished but with just enough funk around the edges to make the most of Winchester's R&B accents. (It's also interesting to listen to Winchester in his prime and wonder how much Lyle Lovett learned from his vocal style.) The recording quality is not especially good (judging from the audio, it may have been sourced from a radio broadcast), and Winchester claims on his website that this was released without his authorization, so those with only a casual interest in his work need not bother with this, but especially enthusiastic fans might want to give it a listen, as it features this underrated talent in fine form. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Jesse Winchester Live From Mountain Stage'
Release Date 10/23/2001
Tracks 13
Label Blue Plate
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Jesse Winchester started his career as a singer/songwriter with his self-titled debut way back in 1970, and many will at least be familiar with his work through other singers. Jimmy Buffett sang the lovely "Biloxi," Jimmie Dale Gilmore the dreamy "Defying Gravity," and Emmylou Harris the pensive "Songbird." All of these songs show a careful attention to capturing and holding fragile moments, pregnant with emotion. Winchester's Live From Mountain Stage performance is barebones: just a guy, his guitar, and a fistful of gems. While this setup may lack the dynamism of a studio album like 1999's Gentleman of Leisure, it has the quiet intimacy one might expect from catching a favorite singer at a local club. Songs like "Yankee Lady" and "Brand New Tennessee Waltz" hark back to his debut, while "Just Like New" and "That's What Makes You Strong" represent his '90s work. Winchester's subdued, sensitive vocals caress each phrase, filling delicately constructed pieces like "Songbird," "Eulalie," and "Little Glass of Wine" with deep feeling. To prevent an overdose of sentiment, "Just Like New" and "Gentleman of Leisure" throw in a bit of gentle humor. While Live From Mountain Stage never attempts to deliver the "Best of Jesse Winchester," it does offer a nice place to familiarize oneself with this first generation singer/songwriter. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., All Music Guide
'Gentleman of Leisure'
Release Date 6/22/1999
Tracks 14
Label Sugar Hill
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
From the opening vocals of the almost rockabilly "Club Manhattan," the undeniably excellent songwriting of Jesse Winchester makes its way back into our collective psyche. Backed by an unparalleled group of musicians, and with guest appearances from such musical dignitaries as the Fairfield Four, Jerry Douglas, Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, and Vince Gill, Winchester has assembled a highly enjoyable album, filled with the same magic his past releases all possessed. The kind of musical and lyrical genius that has caused dozens of artists to record his music gets into some funky blues territory with "Sweet Little Shoe," and downright beautiful with "That's What Makes You Strong," featuring the lap steel guitar work of Jerry Douglas, who also acts as producer for the album. The title track is a rocking blues number with some out-in-front drums from John Gardner and more of Jerry Douglas' excellent lap steel. "Wander My Way Back Home," a gospel tune, backed by the fabulous Fairfield Four, is one of the album's best tracks, and is reprised at the very end of the record. "Just Because I'm in Love With You" brings some Roy Orbison feeling, with flawless harmonies from country superstar Vince Gill. "Sweet Loving Daddy" features some fine dobro picking from Douglas, but the absolute finest track on the album has to be the final cut, "I Wave Bye Bye." Gentleman of Leisure is an album 11 years on coming, and it was well worth the wait. ~ Michael B. Smith, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After seven years, Jesse Winchester returned to record stores with a well-crafted pop album made up of new originals in his familiar, winning style. He mixed elements of folk, rock, country, R&B, and gospel on the songs, employing a first-rate backup group featuring new grass stars Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Connor, plus saxophonist Jim Horn. These pros were able match Winchester's forays into light gospel ("Let's Make a Baby King") and R&B ("Well-A-Wiggy," which had been a hit for the Weather Girls), as well as the straightforward romantic pop songs that made up the bulk of the record. Humour Me lacked the depth of Winchester's best work, but it was easily on a par with his substantial body of craftsmanlike music of the mid-'70s. His voice remained warm and supple, so that his own versions of the songs were effective, and the album also served as a demo for other singers in search of good pop material. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Having rushed to make Nothing but a Breeze and A Touch on the Rainy Side and getting his two least impressive albums for his trouble, Jesse Winchester spent two and a half years woodshedding before returning to the record racks with Talk Memphis. For the album, he returned to his hometown and worked with producer Willie Mitchell, best known for his Al Green records. It wasn't as unlikely a matching as might be imagined; Winchester had always had a soulful, flexible voice as ready as Green's to take off into the upper registers to express emotion. And Memphis-style R&B had always been an element, along with country, folk, pop, and gospel, in Winchester's sound. On his early albums, his lighthearted style had been in the service of an embattled vision, but gradually that darkness gave way, to the point that he began to seem lightweight. Talk Memphis put his effervescence and musicality to good use, resulting in his first Top 40 hit, the catchy "Say What," and the rest of the album was just as easy on the ears, with the title track providing a suitably gritty Memphis-soul sendoff. But that wasn't enough to break the album beyond the bottom rungs of the charts, and after seven albums in 11 years, Winchester left the world of major-label record-making. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'A Touch on the Rainy Side'
Release Date 1/1/1978
Tracks 10
Label Stony Plain
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Nothing But a Breeze'
Release Date 1/1/1977
Tracks 10
Label Stony Plain
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Jesse Winchester regularly took two years between record releases, but he brought in his fifth album, Nothing But a Breeze, a mere nine months after its predecessor, Let the Rough Side Drag. The impetus for such speed seems to have been the potential commercial bonanza to be gained by Winchester's first U.S. appearances since he moved to Canada to avoid the draft in 1967, due to President Jimmy Carter's amnesty program. Winchester also used a real producer, Brian Ahern (known for his work with Emmylou Harris), for the first time, and augmented his usual backup band with session stars such as Ricky Skaggs and James Burton, plus supporting vocalists like Harris and Anne Murray. The result was an Ahern-style country-pop album, but, perhaps predictably, a rather light effort for Winchester, who performed three covers among the ten tracks and included among the originals such comic trifles as "Twigs and Seeds" and "Rhumba Man." The title track, which became his first singles-chart entry, and "My Songbird," which Harris later covered, were effective songs. Nothing But a Breeze enjoyed a media buzz and became Winchester's highest-charting album (which isn't saying much). ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Let the Rough Side Drag'
Release Date 1/1/1976
Tracks 12
Label Stony Plain
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
At his best, Jesse Winchester is an inspired songwriter with a unique worldview. But even at less than his best, he is a craftsman, capable of turning out an album's worth of well-written songs like those here that, now and then, suggest his personal viewpoint. The title track, another of Winchester's reflections on the importance of persevering under difficult circumstances, and "Damned If You Do," which suggests that you might as well follow your heart because you're in trouble either way, are up to his usual standard. But even slight songs like "Everybody Knows But Me" are clever and enjoyable, and overall, Let the Rough Side Drag, with its accomplished mixture of country and R&B, was Winchester's most accessible album so far, even if it was his least ambitious. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
