Track Listing

1. Eulalie
2. Foolish Heart
3. If Only
4. Love Is Hard, But Love Is Fair
5. Just Like New
6. That's What Makes You Strong
7. Club Manhattan
8. Brand New Tennessee Waltz
9. Gentleman Of Leisure
10. Little Glass Of Wine
11. Humor Me
12. Songbird
13. Yankee Lady

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #164560 in Music
• Released on: 2001-10-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Amazon.com
This modest live album offers a rare glimpse of a truly great Southern singer-songwriter, but it may frustrate fans as much as it intrigues listeners unfamiliar with his work. At his best, Jesse Winchester weaves gospel, folk, blues, and country threads into graceful, intelligent music that reflects his origins in Louisiana, rural Mississippi, and Memphis. He sings in a honeyed drawl about affairs of the heart, small moments of deep feeling, and mysteries of the spirit with a rare balance of clarity and gravity. This set captures Winchester accompanied only by his spare gut-string acoustic guitar, a setting that emphasizes song craft but eclipses his skill at solid ensemble arrangements. The repertoire favors Winchester's more recent output while overlooking or underselling his earlier songs, thus reducing exquisite signatures like "Brand-New Tennessee Waltz" and "Yankee Lady" to pale echoes of their original power and depicting their author as a folk poet instead of the versatile musician his past albums and infrequent tours have revealed. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

Jesse Solo is Jesse's Best -- Which is Very Good!
Though I understand Amazon's cautious advice on this album, which differs from other Winchester albums, customer-reviewer Rob Smyth has it exactly right, I think. The greatest strengths of Jesse Winchester's many wonderful facets are his understated, subtle lyrics, and the exquisitely graceful courtly manner (and persona) with which he conveys touching sentiments. His voice itself (and even the moments when his expressive breathing is audible) is sweet and warm, with its shifts in intonation, set against his spare but always interesting and tasty gut-string guitar work. Before this year, I had never fully heard these lovely subtleties, because arrangements on his other albums -- while pleasing in their own way -- seem always to overshadow the man himself, and the little gems he composes. I happened to hear his concert in Boulder from the tour here presented, entering with modest expectations and leaving overwhelmed by the experience, and aglow with appreciation for this extraordinary gentleman. As in the concert, this album puts Jesse himself out front, simply on his own, and the result easily transcends his other recorded work. His lyrics are probably the highlight of his songs (this from a listener who usually listens first and foremost to music, often at the expense of lyrics). Without other instruments crowding in, the lyrics have the space and time to unfold in the patient pace best for savoring the superb craftsmanship -- a pace we have perhaps forgotten in the rush of modern life. This CD has not left my CD player since it arrived a few weeks ago!

Simple, understated, extremely powerful
I've been a Jesse Winchester fan since his first self-titled (vinyl) album many years ago. I've seen him live a few times. But it wasn't until Strawberry Music festival a couple of years ago that I saw him perform solo. I was curious how he would hold the audience, many of whom hadn't even heard of him. It was almost beyond understanding, how he had the entire crowd hanging on every word, laughing at the most subtle suggestion of humor. This disc re-creates that connection, a rare and magical one that few artists, in the over-produced and synthetically altered musical machine of today can understand, let alone approximate. A great gift to the musical world!

Like Having Him Play in Your Home
I've seen Jesse play solo numerous times in small venues going back to 1975 in Montreal. This recording is just how it is. His sweet understated vocals and minimalist guitar playing just captivate and keep you focused on his every word. If you're a fan but never got to see him in a small club, buy this CD and you'll know exactly what its like. If you never heard of him, buy his studio albums first and then give this a try.