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According to her record company bio, Detroit-native Alex Winston trained classically in opera, though listeners may be hard pressed to find any hint of this on her new EP. If you are expecting Susan Boyle Does Indie, look elsewhere. The multi-talented Winston recorded the EP by herself in her basement, playing all of the instruments. Her voice dominates: child-like, fragile, almost sounding like one of those kids from Village of the Damned, and yet oddly compelling.
Whether it’s her demented-‘50s-pop version of Francis and the Lights’ gospel-infused “It’ll Be Better” or her child-sharing-a-secret take on Mumford & Sons’ “The Cave,” she reinterprets the music in the truest sense. The creepy, carnival-like atmosphere on “Play With Fire” imparts a menace that even the bad-boy Rolling Stones could only dream of in 1965. Winston transforms each song, making it her own but never losing sight of the original. We look forward to what she will do when she emerges from the basement.
Download two sample tracks below, then grab The Basement Covers EP here.
MP3: Alex Winston – The Cave (Mumford & Sons cover)
[audio: DownloadThis/AlexWinston/TheCave.mp3]
MP3: Alex Winston – Play with Fire (The Rolling Stones cover)
[audio: DownloadThis/AlexWinston/PlaywithFire.mp3]
Basement Covers Tracklist:
1. The Cave (Mumford & Sons cover)
2. It’ll Be Better (Francis and the Lights cover)
3. Play with Fire (Rolling Stones cover)
4. Pull My Heart Away (Jack Penate cover)
5. Yours to Keep (Teddybears cover)
Check out more Alex Winston at her record company site, on MySpace, or on Twitter.
