Jesse Winchester – Live From Mountain Stage

In the early ’70s, the quality of both Jesse Winchester’s rich, colorful songwriting and his folk-soul singing should have made him a star on par with artists such as James Taylor and Cat Stevens. But the Shreveport, Louisiana, native had fled to Canada to avoid helping blow up Southeast Asia, so he remained a relatively obscure figure whose best work (“Biloxi”, “Mississippi You’re On My Mind”, “Brand New Tennessee Waltz”) gained popularity via cover versions by Tom Rush, Stoney Edwards, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, and many others.

Live From Mountain Stage contains a healthy sampling of Winchester’s early classics, including a breathtaking “Songbird”, but more importantly, it fleshes out the beauty and power of his recent material. While studio versions of tunes such as “Foolish Heart” and “That’s What Makes You Strong” were over-produced and frothy, these solo acoustic renditions reveal both the intricately designed melodies and the deftly plotted lyrics.

As witty as he is wise, Winchester examines the vicissitudes of love with the cool detachment of a tenured professor while retaining a mischievous schoolboy’s unbridled enthusiasm. And his voice has matured into something truly profound. Like the sweet, sharp, Bourbon-laced kisses from a favorite old lover, his singing warms the heart and soothes the spirit.

Many Mountain Stage live discs amount to pleasant souvenirs, but this one is far more significant: It’s the first recording that really captures Jesse Winchester in his humble, infectious glory.