Little Red Wagon

Elly Wininger

This beautiful album straddles the line between blues and folk in a most satisfying way. The superb guitarist and singer Elly Wininger...

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Digital, CD

  • Review of Little Red Wagon

    This beautiful album straddles the line between blues and folk in a most satisfying way. The superb guitarist and singer Elly Wininger – a 2014 inductee into the New York Blues Hall of Fame – wrote or co-wrote nine of the 13 tracks. Two others, “Down The Line” and “Wild Ox Moan”, are traditional numbers.

    This is primarily an acoustic album, featuring expert finger picking and excellent slide.

    Wininger is aided by the guitarist and producer Stephen Miller; their styles mesh perfectly. The playing is crystal clear. Wininger’s fine vocals are far forward in the mix: You can actually make out the words.

    They cover a cornucopia of life’s joys and travails.

    “The Girl In The Tree House” is a paean to the magic of childhood. “For Fred”, a slow, bluesy, finger picked number, celebrates the joys of taking chances.

    ‘Thank you for getting me to dance/Thank you for getting me out on the floor,’ Wininger sings. ‘Thank you for getting me to dance/I’d forgotten that sometimes that’s what music is for.”

    One of the finest cuts is the traditional number “Wild Ox Moan”. The stellar guitar arrangement is credited – and properly so – to Geoff Muldaur, who recorded it some years ago. This is country blues indeed. One of the bluesiest cuts is “El’s Kitchen”, an instrumental on which the rhythmic guitar is accented by fiddle. And the title cut is a breakup song enhanced by slow, bluesy slide. Each song is distinct, yet the album forms a stylistic whole.

    “Shade” – ‘I’m looking for mercy/looking for shade’ — features moving solos on slide guitar and electric organ. “Hard Livin’” is a fuller, almost poppier song with singers oohing in the background “It’s hard living with a soft heart,” Wininger sings. “I Say Love” carries the warning that if you can’t take the pain, you’re not prepared for love. ‘And will you walk in trust/Though your steps may be unsure?’ Wininger asks. ‘I say love.

    There’s not a false note on the album. Every song’s a gem. Great listening for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

    ~M.D. Spenser,  Blues Matters (U.K.)

    Elly’s Notes

    Story Behind The Song

    I was telling my friend about a certain man that I loved, but he just wasn’t treating me right.

    Her comment was: “Awww…Is your little red wagon painted blue?”

    Song Description

    When I was young I sang along to Leadbelly’s”Little Red Wagon Painted Blue.” It was a cute catchy song like “Skip To My Lou” etc. As an adul,t the wagon became the Mahayana or “Great Vehicle” of Buddhism. Somewhere in between it was a crude reference to an anatomical female body part. Now, in this song, it is all of these.

    1. Clarion River 3:18
    2. Down the Line 3:59
    3. The Girl in the Tree House 5:19
    4. Shade 5:38
    5. For Fred 3:58
    6. Two Steps Forward 2:56
    7. El’s Kitchen 3:44
    8. Wild Ox Moan 3:40
    9. Hard Livin’ 3:40
    10. Little Red Wagon 3:39See If I’ll Care 3:00
    11. I Say Love 4:2
    12. Let It Come 4:18
  • Release Date: February 17, 2018

    Tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13 written by E. Wininger, published by Menstengo Music (BMI) © ℗ 2017 Mestengo Music
    Track 2 traditional, arranged by E. Wininger
    Track 3 written by E. Wininger, E. Pittelman, S. Miller
    Track 4 written by Kyle Esposito (BMI)
    Track 6 arranged by S. Miller
    Track 8, traditional, arranged by E. Wininger
    Track 11 written by A. Hill, C. Williams, B. Smith,
    published by Universal-MCA Music
    Musicians:
    1.Clarion River
    Elly Wininger – vocals; guitar
    Stephen Miller – guitar and bass
    Terry Martell – bongos and percussion
    Janice Hardgrove and Lynn Hardy – vocal harmonies
    2.Down the Line
    Elly Wininger – fretted Resonator guitar
    Stephen Miller – electric guitar; lap steel guitar
    George Koller – upright bass
    3.The Girl in the Treehouse
    Elly Wininger – vocals
    Stephen Miller – orchestration; guitars
    George Koller – upright bass
    Terry Martell – percussion
    4.Shade
    Elly Wininger – vocal; guitar
    Stephen Miller – guitar; Resophonic guitar
    Rodney St. Amand – bass
    Dennis Keldie – Hammmond B3 organ; Fender Rhodes electric piano
    Terry Martell – drums
    5.For Fred
    Elly Wininger – vocals; guitar
    Stephen Miller – guitar and solo
    George Koller – upright bass
    6.Two Steps Forward
    Elly Wininger – vocals; slide guitar
    Stephen Miller – guitar; Resophonic guitar
    Dennis Keldie – accordion
    Rodney St. Amand – bass
    Terry Martell – drums
    Janice Hardgrove, Lynn Hardy, Elly Wininger, Stephen Miller – vocal harmonies
    7.El’s Kitchen
    Elly Wininger – acoustic guitar
    John Dymond – bass
    Eric Parker – drums
    Cindy Cashdollar – Tricone baritone resonator guitar
    Guy ‘Fooch’ Fischetti – fiddle
    8.Wild Ox Moan
    Elly Wininger – vocals; guitar
    Thanks to Geoff Muldaur for his inspiring guitar arrangement.
    9.Hard Livin’. Soft Heart
    Elly Wininger – vocal; guitar
    Stephen Miller – guitar
    Rodney St. Amand – bass
    Terry Martell – drums
    Janice Hardgrove and Lynn Hardy – vocal harmonies
    10. Little Red Wagon
    Elly Wininger – vocals; slide guitar
    Stephen Miller – electric guitar
    Rodney St. Amand – bass
    Terry Martell – drums
    11.See If I’ll Care
    Elly Wininger – vocal; guitar
    Stephen Miller – guitar; Resophonic guitar
    Rodney St. Amand – bass
    Terry Martell – drums
    12. I Say Love
    Elly Wininger – vocal; guitar
    Stephen Miller –Resophonic guitar; rhythm guitar
    George Koller – upright bass
    13.Let It Come
    Elly Wininger – vocal; guitar
    Stephen Miller – guitar
    Dennis Keldie – Hammmond B3 organ; accordion; Wurlitzer electric piano
    George Koller – upright bass
    Produced by Stephen Miller; Co-Producer : Elly Wininger
    Production Consultant: Kari Estrin
    Recorded at:
    Stony Villa, Brandford, Ontario; Engineer: John Jackson
    Coldbrook Studio, Bearsville, NY; Engineer: Julie Last
    NRS Studio, Catskill, NY; Engineer: Scott Petito
    (#) Mixed by Stephen Miller; (*) Mixed by Julie Last
    Mastered by Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio
    CD design by Annie Capps, www.swampstreetdesign.com
    Photo of Elly and wagon: Jayne Toohey
    Elly Wininger and Stephen Miller play guitars by Ivon Schmukler
    www.ivonschmuklerguitars.com
    In addition to all the great musicians and engineers on this project,
    special thanks to Stephen Miller and Shelley Beal, Dave Kearney (Wagonmaster),
    Larry Packer, Kari Estrin, Chris Hensley, Linda Champanier, and Judy Greenberg.

Elly Wininger - Little Red Wagon cover - square
Genre: Blues, Folk/Americana
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