Quiet About It (A Tribute to Jesse Winchester)

The cliché about being judged by the company one keeps particularly applys to this formidable yet unassuming tribute album. Under-appreciated Canadian singer/songwriter and Memphis expatriate Jesse Winchester’s work has been covered by his peers, from Joan Baez and Jimmy Buffett to Emmylou Harris and, improbably, the Weather Girls. Quiet About It showcases his songbook through another impressive variety of legends and superstars. James Taylor opens the collection with a stripped down acoustic version of “Payday,” which is less honky tonk and more house concert than the original. With a tom-driven rhythm and sorrowful horns, Roseanne Cash’s take on “Biloxi” is transformed into a lovely ‘70s folk dirge, while Allen Toussaint’s exploration of “I Wave Bye Bye” shares an aching loveliness with Winchester’s original studio version. Buffet and Harris make fresh contributions (the latter with Rodney Crowell), and Elvis Costello masterfully takes on the closing, title track.