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Stephen Winston’s fifth studio album Unresolved is the most personal effort yet from a musical artist who has thus far staked his career on a level of aching vulnerability we don’t often hear from any songwriter and musician. The sensitivity underlying this release is apparent from the first. “Sun on the Boats” revolves around Winston’s voice and eloquent piano playing complementing his singing like a second vocalist duetting with Winston’s own. The clear poetic tenor of Winston’s lyrics are accessible and built around clear imagery that, undoubtedly, means a great deal to Winston, but yet remains relatable to a wider audience. “Maidens” brings a full band arrangement to bear for the first time and the carefully measured arrangement shows the sort of consideration Stephen Winston consistently brings to his material. The drumming, in particular, sets a tasteful tone for the entirety of the song.
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“Unresolved”, the album’s title song, comes early in the collection and I find it’s usually a sign of the artist’s confidence in their material when they’ll place a presumably definitive statement so early in the release. The weaving of acoustic guitar and piano is something Winston returns to over the course of the album’s nine songs, but the title song is arguably the most evocative expression of that approach included on Unresolved. The orchestrations fueling much of the album reach a zenith with the song “Maybe It’s for James”, an especially poignant number with a heartfelt Winston vocal. The early half of the track is led by Winston’s voice and piano playing with minor string embellishments, but the classical inclinations come more to the fore during the song’s second part.
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“For What Purpose” is one of the album’s crown jewels despite taking a completely different tack than the earlier tunes – this is a solid example of Americana, complete with some additional instrumentation we haven’t heard used on Unresolved in such a way until now, and the steady amble of the tune gives it even more gravitas than it might have otherwise possessed. Michael Pfeifer, the album’s producer and engineer, offers his guitar services as well throughout Unresolved, but his expert framing of Winston’s material makes songs like “For What Purpose” resonate even deeper with listeners.
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The album’s penultimate number, “Talk on the Town”, has some lovely fiddle playing counterpoint the guitar work and has an approachable gait that draws listeners from the first. Winston plays with the tempo some during this song, it’s never too pronounced, but it makes the track even more beguiling. He closes the album with “The Last Night” and it’s an ideal finish for Unresolved. Winston unleashes his most emotional vocal on an album overflowing with emotional singing and the musical accompaniment provides the right amount of support without ever obscuring even a syllable of his singing. Winston, with his fifth album, continues building an impressive discography, but this new album rates as his best yet and much of that can be attributed to his penchant for making things personal, yes, but his musical talents are undeniable as well.
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Jodi Marxbury
