Today we’re honored to premiere the song “She Makes It Easy Now” by Southern singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester.
Recorded before he passed away on April 11, 2014, this song, and the album A Reasonable Amount of Trouble are slated for release September 10.
“She Makes It Easy Now” gets a groove on right off the bat. It’s a foot tappin’ good time.
Jim Musselman, president of Appleseed Recordings (and a longtime friend of the late Jesse Winchester), shares, “‘She Makes It Easy Now’ is a cheerfully rocking song about how finding the right woman will improve your life. Like so many of Jesse's best songs of the last decade, this one was very likely inspired by his wife, Cindy. Musical guest Jerry Douglas makes the track sparkle with his lap steel guitar leads."
Check it out:
Jesse Winchester left behind a legacy of distinctively insightful, gentle, frequently humorous songs about everyday people and their lives that became hits for other performers while he painstakingly crafted new classics to share.
A Reasonable Amount of Trouble was written and recorded while he was in remission from the cancer that eventually returned and claimed him.
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Although never a household name, Jesse was versatile enough to write pop, country and R&B hits for the likes of Nicolette Larson (“Rhumba Girl”), the Weather Girls (“Well-a-Wiggy”), Michael Martin Murphey (“I’m Gonna Miss You Girl), and even had his own Top 40 hit with “Say What” in 1981. His songs were also covered by Tom Rush, Jerry Jeff Walker, George Strait, Gary Allan, Patti Page, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, Anne Murray, Reba McEntire, The Everly Brothers, Wynonna Judd, New Grass Revival, Fairport Convention, Tim Hardin, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Ted Hawkins, Iain Matthews, Brewer & Shipley, Raffi, Wilson Pickett, and many more.
He recorded ten studio albums and several live releases, and was nominated for Best Country Male Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1990. He also earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2007. This fall he will be posthumously inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.
The new CD was produced by Mac McAnally, who also plays lead guitar (and has performed both functions for Jimmy Buffett, among others, for years), and features nine new Winchester originals and three lovingly chosen cover versions.
Jesse plays acoustic guitar and keyboard and sings in his uniquely weightless tenor; there’s an attuned rhythm section, and guest appearances by “newgrass” country Grammy winner Jerry Douglas on lap steel and legendary saxophonist Jim Horn, among others.
Winchester, a self-described “gentleman of leisure” for the preceding decade, undertook an active touring schedule after his Love Filling Station release, abruptly halted in June 2011 by a diagnosis of cancer of the esophagus.
After surgery and related treatments, Jesse was pronounced cancer-free a few months later and, as his strength slowly returned, he started work on new songs for what became A Reasonable Amount of Trouble (the title borrowed from a Sam Spade quote from The Maltese Falcon).
During his illness and recovery, another big-name Winchester fan, Jimmy Buffett, organized an all-star tribute CD named Quiet About It (a Winchester song title that summarized his creative modus operandi) featuring Buffett, Costello, James Taylor, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash and other stars.
Shockingly, in February 2014, the dormant cancer was found in his bladder, this time without a cure, and Jesse spent most of his remaining months at home in Charlottesville, Va., before his death on April 11.
Appleseed president Jim Musselman posted, “Jesse was a beautiful human being and one of the most wonderful artists that I have had the honor to work with. We had just finished recording a new CD with him called A Reasonable Amount of Trouble and he was very excited about the songs on the album. Jesse recorded a new song about life called "All That We Have Is Now" about living life fully, and also a beautiful song about facing death titled “Just So Much” that I cannot listen to without getting tears in my eyes. He showed such courage facing death and was strong throughout. We all can learn a lot from him in many ways . . . I am heartbroken over the loss of this remarkable musician.”
Find out more about A Reasonable Amount of Troublehere
Acoustic Nation is written by Laura B. Whitmore, a music industry marketing veteran, music journalist and editor, who has contributed to Parade.com, Guitar World, and others. She has interviewed hundreds of musicians and hosts the She Rocks Podcast. As the founder of the Women’s International Music Network, she advocates for women in the music industry and produces the annual She Rocks Awards. She is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Positive Grid, making the world safe for guitar exploration everywhere! A guitarist and singer/songwriter, Laura is currently co-writing an album of pop songs that empower and energize girls.
