Having exhausted the seasons and then dallying with Vince Guaraldi's music on Linus & Lucy, pianist George Winston returns to a favorite field of exploration, American landscapes. He started out with Forest in 1994 and now returns with Plains, his first new album in three years. Inspired largely by the open spaces of Montana where he grew up, Plains nevertheless mixes in traditional Irish and Hawaiian traditional, as well as standards from Sammy Cahn and Chet Atkins. Always an astute listener, Winston also finds contemporary gems from Angelo Badalamenti and Sarah McLachlan. Winston has two styles. One is the open, flowing liquid drops of sound heard on his original compositions that have made him a favorite since his Windham Hill debut, Autumn; the other is a rootsy Americana. Winston is competent and sincere, but undistinguished in the latter terrain, playing Cahn's "Teach Me Tonight" like any number of long-forgotten cocktail lounge pianists. But on originals like "Rainsong," "Cloudburst," and "Plains," Winston's piano rings out like an echo from the big sky. A special limited edition of the disc includes two songs on acoustic guitar. --John Diliberto

.....
I'll just add my voice to the choir, here, letting you all know that this is a particularly fine and exceptionally listenable album, that just gets better with replays. I like George Winston, but don't particularly seek him out. This album came as a gift from one of my sisters awhile back, so thank you, Con, for such a fine and thoughtful present!

I keep PLAINS in the car, for bad-radio times, and for stressful moments. It holds up remarkably well to repeated listening. Even my wife, who's normally allergic to anything remotely New-Agey, likes PLAINS a lot. Easy listening, without the negative connotations. Highly recommended.

Happy listening--
Peter D. Tillman

Few things are as pleasant as finding that that a source of enjoyment has more in it than you expect. Whether this is as profound as a new line of discovery or the simple pleasure of an album of music that you had overlooked is a moot point. In either case the rewards come as a great surprise. George Winston is one of America's musical treasures, combining folk with light jazz, making music that can delight and uplift at the same time. Somehow, this weekend, I found that I had missed an album, and the pleasure was worth the wait.

Plains is classic George Winston. Many of the tracks are landscapes or impressions. Winston seems to be visually inspired. Listen to the happy, folksy rhythm of Dubuque and compare it with the thoughtfulness of Aaberg's Before Barbed Wire. Of course, Winston isn't bound by his traditional Montana settings and music. There is also the melancholy romanticism of Frangenti and the delicate styling of Give Me Your Hand.

The surprise is his use of Hawaiian slack key music (No Ke Ano Ahihi and 'Ike Ia Ladana) once you listen, the influence on Winston's music is obvious. There is a tendency to write some of Winston's work as New Age when it is simply reworking of a mix of styles into something that is something of its own. Winston uses misic and influence from Aaberg, Chet Atkins, Hawaiian, Sammy Cahn (and even Sarah McLachan) with the adeptness of a polished musican.

But for me, it is still Winston's own work that makes me wish I had worked harder on keyboards. Graduation, Plains, and Rainsong are the best on this album, which is sure to see a lot of playing. Get it for your own rainy days, you'll love it.

I, and those that first discovered George Winston, some years ago, were mocked because Winston is so easy to listen to. I doubted my taste, at the time, and agreed with what a lot of people were saying, that if he's that polular, he can't be any good. In the last year or so, I've been listening more carefully to his work, and find that the large majority of it is just excellent. Once in a while a piece does lapse into loungeiness, but the great majority of his work shows a great deal of thought and attention, and will reward your close attention.

Any George Winston is good stuff. Some releases tho, are better than others. While "Plains" is very good, it doesn't effect me like 1982's "December" or 1994's "Forest". As for the individual songs... there is no "Carol Of The Bells", "Thanksgiving" (both from "December"), "Tramarack Pines" or "Cloudy This Morning" (both from "Forest") here. There are however some classic Winston-esque tracks here. Check out "Rainsong", "Cloudburst", "Before Barbed Wire". While Winston is able to pick and choose his 'cover' tunes, I feel his choices on "Plains" could have been better. Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" just doesn't work for me here. Winston plays the Cahn & Atkins tunes well, but his own new age stuff is easily the best. Track 9 ("Merry Go Round") should have been deleted. The majority of this album flows - and depending on where you are... it will give you the opportunity to experience some of those deep thoughts.

Whenever I want to gain peace and serenity, I play this CD.
George Winston uses his incredible talents to soothe my soul.