NEW audioCD

Gentleman Of Leisure

Amazon.com

Jesse Winchester has made such a good living writing songs for the likes of Wynonna Judd, Emmylou Harris, and Reba McEntire that he doesn't really have to make his own albums. In fact, the revealingly titled Gentleman of Leisure is only his second album in 18 years. It was worth the wait, for it sounds like one of Lyle Lovett's late-1990s albums. There's the same dry, wry voice; the same weird mix of '40s swing, '60s R&B, and '70s progressive country; and the same conversational lyrics that seem casual at first but contain memorable aphorisms. Lovett's Texas sensibility is replaced, though, by Winchester's Memphis roots, which are reinforced by Steve Cropper's presence on songs about Elvis and a favorite soul-music club. Producer Jerry Douglas has also called in bluegrass guitar whiz Bryan Sutton, blues-guitar virtuoso Mike Henderson, country star Vince Gill, and gospel's Fairfield Four. Winchester's songwriting is the star attraction, though, thanks to music that marries hillbilly tunefulness to swampy Delta grooves and Zen lyrics that explore how love can strip us of pride and power and still make us strong. --Geoffrey Himes, ISBN13: B00000J809 ISBN10: B00000J809 Material Type: audioCD