Jesse Winchester was a country and folk musician and songwriter who was born and raised in the United States, but moved to Canada to avoid military service in 1967, which marks the beginning of his career as a solo artist. Many songs he wrote were recorded by a number of famous artists such as Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, the Everly Brothers, Elvis Costello, Anne Murray, Patti Page, Reba McEntire, and Jerry Garcia, to name a few. Winchester gained Canadian citizenship before this album’s release, which seems to have opened up the ability to comment on the U.S. quite a bit. I’m a big fan of protest music, which this album, Learn to Love It (1974), seems to have based on what I can find on the internet, so I’m pretty excited to give this one a listen. With that said, I’m going to go ahead and jump on into the music.
“Wake Me” gets grooving along with some country-inflected guitar before dropping into a flavorful folksy rock tune that reminds me a bit of John and Beverley Martyn. Oh wow, the instrumental section is super flavorful. The style of the piano and bass guitar in the background reminds me a bit of Little Feat. Super sweet track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Every Word You Say” feels like a country singer/songwriter track with the clean electric guitar that seems to almost have a wetness to the tone, which gradually rains into the soundscape, while the lightness of the acoustic guitar strumming seems to have a percussiveness that melds well with the rhythm section. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “How Far to the Horizon?” the deep notes in the acoustic guitar with the percussive strumming combined with the bluesy vocals seems to bring about an acoustic country blues sound. Oh wow, there’s a little section of electric guitar that brings some super sweet licks to the track. Holy smokes, I really dig the chorus vocal effect, especially near the end of the tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “L’air de la Louisiane” creates a super interesting soundscape that sounds like a French country raga, based on the tabla-sounding percussion, the country style in the acoustic guitar, and then the bit of a drawl in the French vocals. Holy smokes, another bright acoustic guitar comes into the soundscape and evokes a sound that feels reminiscent of Spanish flamenco to some degree. Wow, great tune.
“Mississippi You’re On My Mind” begins with some delicately meandering acoustic guitar notes, which are backed by a gradually moving high bass note. Oh wow, the vocals come in with a super sweet harmonizing sound between Winchester’s lead vocals and whomever else might be singing in the background chorus. Holy smokes, a very very light piano comes into the soundscape near the meandering acoustic guitar notes, with a super sweet orchestral string section that seems to come in from underneath the soundscape. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Third Rate Romance” has a super intriguing mixture of pop and country flavors with the twangy drawl in Winchester’s vocals and the keyboards that seem to gradually keep the tune moving forward. Holy smokes, the guitar comes in with some super sweet, clean licks that seem to walk a line between country and early 1970s rock. I’m really digging this track a lot. Oh wow, the drums are even more flavorful as the tapping of the cymbals comes in at the end of the track. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Defying Gravity” has such a gentle, singer/songwriter style that seems to have a bit of a Spanish flamenco sound combined with some country flavors, which are then joined by some orchestral instrumentation in a flute and a violin (or other stringed orchestral instrument like it), which nearly bring about a folksy baroque sort of sound as well. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt” begins with a lonely vocal line in a bit of a bluesy style, which is soon joined by a wide-ranged background chorus. Holy smokes, the tune gets rollicking around in a bluesy style with the bass piano notes and the syncopated rhythm from the drums. Holy smokes, the vocals have such a groovy feeling that keep the tune grooving forward. Oh wow, the instrumental section in this track has a super flavorful rollicking piano backed by a groovy bass line. Great tune.
“Pharoah’s Army” seems to have a bit of a trudging, marching sound with what sounds to be a tuba-like synth that plays on the beat, while the bass line seems to move the tune about in the background of this protest tune. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Laisse Les Bons Temps Rouler” has an interesting sound that seems to have a rollicking country feel with the strong backbeat and the super tasty movements on the piano, while the bass line seems to continue grooving the tune forward and the acoustic guitar adds some staccato’d accentuations, which mixes with the French vocals in a super interesting manner. Great tune.
Oh wow, “The End Is Not In Sight” starts out with some super flavorful acoustic guitar work that sets the tone for the album. Holy smokes, this track has a super light and flavorful country folk feel. Oh wow, the electric guitar really drips into the soundscape really nicely. Great track.
Oh wow, “I Can’t Stand Up Alone” begins as a desolate-sounding solo a-cappella performance, which has a very moving sound in the resonance of Winchester’s voice in the soundscape that almost seems to have the feeling of an old spiritual. Oh wow, the chorus vocals that come in to harmonize with Winchester add a super sweet flavor to the soundscape. Wow, great tune and a great way to finish the album.
This album was a super pleasant listening experience that combines flavors of genres in a way that felt very fresh to me. A mixture of French vocals, raga percussion, and country/folk guitars at one point is present, and at other points there’s a mixture of bluesy rollicking sounds in a singer/songwriter sound. If you enjoy singer/songwriter country folk music, such as the stylings of Jonathan Edwards, you might want to consider giving this album a listen. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the experience at least as much as I did.
-A