Three years that his Curio City Tour has descended the France with great guitar strokes. And while he wanted to take a break, Charlie Winston is back in force with his new album Square One. A first successful single, The Weekend, had already been unveiled a few months ago. Square One is the successful project of happiness, doubts and what makes Charlie Winston the man he is today.
Square One, album of maturity?
This is a question that often comes up during the career of an artist: the long-awaited album of maturity. Yet Square One is the perfect example. Charlie Winston seems to have fun studying several different sounds and rhythms on this new album. Sometimes dancing, sometimes throbbing, sometimes acoustic. Square One depicts the life of a man, so exhausted by life that he is happy to live it.
"Hell, I'm in hell" – Spiral
Square One opens with a title that is confusing to say the least. Spiral begins the album with a very energetic rhythm, but which confides the discomfort of the artist. Overwhelmed by events, Spiral is a call to hope ("Kill what you know. Start again. "). Charlie Winston seems to want to tell us a very personal story, his own. And it's an impression all the more justified that Fail Forward arrives. A quieter, more acoustic song. More than a reflection, this title is an invitation to succeed. Even if we have to go through the worst problems in the world ("Ain't no win without a fail").
Danceable and vocal titles
"Feeling Stop" and "The Weekend", Square One's first single, added a more pop touch to the album. Charlie Winston invites us to speak. More than including his story in the album, he includes that of his audience. Titles that will certainly be welcome in the setlist if a tour is born.
Love at the center of the album
If dance and hope take a big place on the album, it is no less love desire. Rendez-Vous and Photograph are the perfect examples. Charlie Winston tells us here everything that love can encompass: desire, passion, disappointment ("I was fooled to believe that we were just right / Just before I got to feel the real kicker").
And it is on very successful titles that the artist transports us into real stories, certainly lived. The album follows on Airport, Square One's first ballad. A moving piano/voice title, which tells us the fear of abandonment, metaphorized by a plane trip. This track was chosen as the second promotional single.
"Wait until tomorrow, and you will see" – Until Tomorrow
Until Tomorrow and Losing Touch resonate as an ensemble. Charlie Winston shares his doubts as an artist, but also his determination. Like everything and its opposite, these two songs are the highlight of this album, and where the lyrics, dear to the artist, take their meaning. Until Tommorow is also one of our favorites.
The album ends with Lost In The Memory and Get Up Stronger. In addition to proving Charlie Winston's talent as a writer, these two titles come to close Square One beautifully. Get Up Stronger particularly piques our interest. A title that will shine by its text, its melody and by its position in the album, a powerful title on the questioning, the energy and the joy of life.
Square One is an ode to life. The joyful life, the life worth living. But also life in all its smallest flaws. Charlie Winston is an outstanding author, and a musician now confirmed after a decade of career. We hope to see him back on the road soon France to defend this album, which, we are sure, will be a success.
