Real World Records

Running Still

• by Charlie Winston
• Real World Region: Europe
• May 2012

"The question to ask is 'How am I unique? What can I do to be unique?' Remember that preciousness is not always a virtue. Sometimes you have to be irreverent and let things go and have rough edges. Like Leonard Cohen said, 'It's the cracks in the wall that let the light come in."

That's Charlie Winston, by way of explaining "The Great Conversation," a song that follows that philosophy to the letter as a highlight on his new album, Running Still. The song is, in fact, a "conversation" with one of his musical heroes -- not Cohen, but Beethoven. As in Ludwig Van. In that chat, Winston explains to ol' LVB what he's done to his Moonlight Sonata, which can be found within the tune, though in shards.

"I wanted to crack that beautiful piece of music up," he explains. "I had taken it to this happy, joyful place and needed to be deeper than that, have this place in the end where it got crazy and messed up. Don't want people to get too comfortable, put on my album and feel they're going to be nurtured and pampered. I want to lead them, not be led by them. I'm saying as artists our obligation, like Steve Jobs said: 'I want to make things people will want, not what people do want.' That's why he was so visionary, so ahead."

Leonard Cohen, Ludvig Van Beethoven, Steve Jobs. Nothing like setting the bar high. Not that Winston would ever think of comparing himself to those titans. But they're fitting inspirations for an album that is a full-range moving experience, stimulating the head, heart and feet into action in equal measures. And it is, in fact, quite nurturing.

"My sole objective on the album was to be able to engage people's feet first and slowly rise to the mind," he says. "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, "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, "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, as well as the whole sound world represented by mentor Peter Gabriel.

Most prominently there's a sense of joy and discovery throughout the album, self-discovery in particular. Following up the breakthrough of his 2009 album, Hobo, a No. 1 smash in France and a huge hit throughout Europe and Canada, Running Still finds Winston and his richly talented band, the Oxymorons, in collaboration with producer Tony Berg (Michael Penn, Aimee Mann, Bruce Hornsby, Ozomatli) to reach new emotional and sonic colors. This is the first album featuring the band -- drummer Medi, bassist Daniel Marsala and harmonica ace Benjamin "Ben Henry" Edwards along with Winston's piano and guitar -- which came together organically after the making of Hobo as Winston shaped new visions both as a songwriter and performer. Other than a little keyboard additions from Patrick Warren and a touch of guitar from Tiny B (Berg, under a Winston-bestowed alias), the whole colorfully diverse ball of wax comes from the skilled hands of the empathic ensemble.

« Previous release
Higher Ground
The Blind Boys Of Alabama Next release »
Guzo
Samuel Yirga