Love Filling Station

Jesse Winchester | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 21, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Appleseed Records
• ASIN: B001SNXSG6
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,305 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Mike Regenstreif, Montreal Gazette

". . . At last, we have a new Jesse Winchester studio album; nine finely crafted original gems and three excellent covers. . . . His music has often blended Memphis R 'n' B traditions with country and folk influences. This album also has a very strong influence of early rock 'n' roll, particularly the ballad tradition of singers like Roy Orbison, a bit of jazz and, perhaps in a nod to the sounds that waft through the Virginia countryside where he now lives, a hefty dose of bluegrass. (4 ½ stars)"

Product Description

You could stock a crowd-pleasing jukebox with the songs Jesse Winchester has written and recorded in the last four decades - and with the better-known versions of his songs that have become hits and album staples for artists ranging from Joan Baez to Elvis Costello to Jimmy Buffett. Winchester's skill in capturing vivid small town vignettes, heartfelt love and love-lost situations, and goodtime celebrations has yielded a litany of I-know-that-songs: "Yankee Lady," "Biloxi," "Brand New Tennessee Waltz," "Talk Memphis," "Rhumba Girl," "Payday," "I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl," "Let's Make a Baby King" and many more. His 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composters, Artists and Publishers (ASCAP) is one gauge of the music world's esteem; Bob Dylan naming Jesse as one of the best songwriters of his generation is another.

Love Filling Station, Winchester's Appleseed debut and his first studio CD in a decade, offers nine characteristically top-flight originals among its dozen songs. It also highlights Jesse as a graceful, soulful vocalist, as memorable a singer as a songwriter. His light southern tenor drawl, warmly wrapped in country/bluegrass/folk arrangements, can gently ascend to the heavens a la Roy Orbison, as in the lovestruck wonderment of "O What a Thrill" (already covered by The Mavericks), dish some sly, wry dirt ("It's a Shame About Him") and even capture the sublime hush of Ben E. King's classic "Stand By Me," one of the CD's three covers. The lightly rocking "Wear Me Out," another original, mixes a mock-plaintive vocal of sexual exhaustion with a funky, gospel-tinged call-and-response as the great bluegrass solo artist and sideman Jerry Douglas threads carnal lap steel guitar licks throughout the song.

Aside from Douglas's guest shot, some of the core musicians on Love Filling Station are the equally estimable Russ Barenberg (guitar, mandolin); Mark Fain (bass) and Andy Leftwich (fiddle) from Ricky Scaggs' band; Jesse himself (guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals); and solo artist Claire Lynch, who summons her inner Dolly Parton on "Loose Talk," an uptempo country lament about wagging tongues and provincial minds.

The strength, sincerity and humor of Winchester's songs combine the laidback gentility of his Memphis upbringing with the perspective and longing of his longtime Canadian exile, self-imposed in 1967 upon receipt of his draft notice. Repatriated in Virginia with an American-born wife since 2002, Winchester sounds happy to be home on Love Filling Station, and we're glad to have him back.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent CD, April 28, 2009

By 

Newark17 (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Filling Station (Audio CD)

This is a quiet, contemplative cd that finds Jesse in excellent voice and singing some very strong songs. Nine of the songs were written by Jesse and the other three were nice covers - Ben E. King's Stand By Me, and the gospel song, Far Side Bank of Jordan, often recorded in bluegrass and country music, and well done here by Jesse. The third cover is Loose Talk, a 1955 hit by Carl Smith and done here by Jesse and Claire Lynch. The cd is beautifully produced by Jerry Douglas and includes such top flight pickers as Russ Barenberg on guitar and mandolin, Andy Leftwich on fiddle, and Douglas on lap steel, among others. If you are expecting a rock record this won't be your cup of tea, however, if you want a quiet, well played, well sung cd, you will love this one. The emphasis here is on the country, folk, and soul side of Jesse's music and is very consistent. A strong outing.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding...oh my, February 1, 2010

By 

T-moose "music lover" (Philly PA area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Filling Station (MP3 Download)

I've gotta chime in on this song as well. I also happened to catch Elivis Costello's Spectacle with Jesse, Neko Case, Cheryl Crow and Ron Sexsmith. I think the tear on Neko Case's face says it all about this song with an interesting title. This song is not to be believed even after you listen to it for the impact that it delivers. DANG is right, according to another review.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding - wow!, January 17, 2010

By 

Eric Bowers (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Filling Station (MP3 Download)

Everyone needs to see his appearance on Elvis Costello's Spectacle TV show. On a guitar pull episode with Sheryl Crow, Ron Sexsmith and Neko Case, Jesse floored everyone with the brilliant "Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding". At first I thought it was too nostalgic, but it quickly turned into a revelation. Stunning. Dang!