Charlie Winston

Charlie Winston – Running Still (2011) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · November 11, 2022 · Comments off

“My sole objective on the album Running Still was to be able to engage people’s feet first and slowly rise to the mind,” says Charlie Winston. “So by the time they get absorbed in the lyrics, they’re fully engaged but realize there’s something more going on.”

Opener ‘Hello Alone’ makes for an inviting call, a shared solitude, if you will, that’s at the root of the art experience. But the next song, ‘Speak to Me’, makes it clear that no one should limit Winston in terms of expectations, the all-vocal beat-boxed tour de force showing one of his many facets, with more to come. The snappy ‘Happiness’ offers soulful yearning, while ‘The Great Conversation’ is in fact a chat with Beethoven, one of Winston’s musical heroes, whose Moonlight Sonata can be found within the tune, though in shards. ‘She Went Quietly’ is a searching piano ballad (inspired by a heart-wrenching tale of separation involving his great aunt and, to lesser though crucial extent, the movie Million Dollar Baby). ‘Until You’re Satisfied’ is ’80s-referencing pop-funk celebrating Winston’s Prince fandom. ‘Lift Me Gently’ is a stand out track for Peter Gabriel – “An amazing song, and possibly the best Charlie has ever written….”. ‘Wild Ones’ is charging blues-rock, ‘Rockin’ in the Suburbs’ is all vibrant energy … and that’s just part of the picture. Not a surprise given that Winston also, with natural ease, refers to such diverse inspirations as Nick Cave, Steve Reich and Jacques Brel (and T.S. Eliot, Wim Wenders and Ingmar Bergman, for that matter) in discussing the album.

Most prominently there’s a sense of joy and discovery throughout the album, which follows up the breakthrough of his 2009 album, ‘Hobo’ – a big hit throughout Europe and Canada.

‘Running Still’ finds Winston and his richly talented band in collaboration with producer Tony Berg (Michael Penn, Aimee Mann, Bruce Hornsby, Ozomatli) to reach new emotional and sonic colors. The band features drummer Medi, bassist Daniel Marsala and harmonica ace Benjamin “Ben Henry” Edwards along with Winston’s piano and guitar – with keyboard additions from Patrick Warren and a touch of guitar from Tiny B (Berg, under a Winston-bestowed alias).

A virtual unknown in his English homeland but a chart-topping star across the Channel, Cornwall singer/songwriter Charlie Winston followed up his number one sophomore album, Hobo, with an equally eclectic third effort inspired by the likes of Nick Cave, Steve Reich, and Jacques Brel. Produced by Tony Berg (Aimee Mann, Bruce Hornsby) and featuring his regular backing band the Oxymorons, Running Still features a track based on Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (“The Great Conversation”) alongside the single “Hello Alone.” –Jon O’Brien, AllMusic

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Charlie Winston – Curio City (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · November 11, 2022 · Comments off

Seul. Tout seul. C’est ainsi que Charlie Winston a écrit et enregistré Curio City. Celui qui plafonna au sommet des charts en 2009 avec son tubesque Like A Hobo se remet totalement en question pour sa cuvée 2015. Et même si l’on retrouve ici son attachant parfait alliage entre pop et folk, Winston ose s’aventurer en terre soul (Just Sayin’) voire électro (Too Long). Difficile aussi de ne pas penser à celui qui fut un peu son mentor, Peter Gabriel, sur des titres hybrides comme Another Trigger ou Evening Comes. A l’arrivée, Charlie Winston prouve qu’il peut se renouveler sans se renier, s’affiner sans s’éclipser, bref qu’il est un songwriter loin d’avoir dit son dernier mot…

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