Peter Rodman/WXNA
These guys have created something SO special, I had to give it a whole new category! It would’ve been far too labourious to call it ‘Thoughtful/Modern/Acoustic Garage Surf/Jam/Punk/NewFolk/Rock/ Grunge/ Wave, or even ‘Menof-a-Certain Age Wisdom Music’…so I’ve settled on: “NEW REALITY.” ‘You Got It All.’ …by LESTER-WINCHESTERMcKENDREE, [is] the BEST DANG RECORD I’ve heard in three years, at least!!! (Peter Rodman/WXNA)
Nashville Scene
Three accomplished and versatile musicians who’ve backed a host of top bands and artists have joined forces in the new supergroup Lester Winchester McKendree…Rhythm ace Jimmy Lester has been the drummer for Billy Joe Shaver, Los Straitjackets and Webb Wilder. Keyboardist Kevin McKendree has provided sizzling accompaniment for Lee Roy Parnell, Delbert McClinton and Brian Setzer, while Mark Winchester has been a great songwriter, vocalist and bandleader who’s worked with Emmylou Harris and The Planet Rockers as well as Setzer…a tremendous collection of Winchester originals, plus two instrumentals. (Ron Wynn/Nashville Scene)
Songwriters often say that a new instrument can “have songs in it,” or that writing on an unfamiliar instrument can open up new creative paths. If you listen closely to Lester, Winchester, and McKendree’s They Got It All, you’ll hear exactly that spirit at work.
accomplished, talented musicians…catchy…a timeless quality (Michael Doherty/Michael’s Music Log)
This is a trio that sounds like they’ve been playing together their whole lives, and take off with such confidence it’s clearly a matter of time before their band name is at the top of the marquee. The group is able to take on any type of rocker and make it sound only like themselves…there’s no telling where the band can go. Light the fuse. (Bill Bentley/Bentley’s Bandstand)
Review: Musicians who backed E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent are releasing debut album
moments of fun, spirited rockabilly… It’s not pop, but it’s rock with a lighter, breezy vibe…clever pieces (Tom Henry/Toledo Blade)
beautifully played, energetic, no-nonsense album…a rollicking, fine debut. (Fred Arnold/Americana UK)
REVIEW: Lester Winchester McKendree “They Got It All” – Americana Highways
The playing is exceptional… creative, loose, fleshed out & dare I say ‘groovy’… superb (John Apice/Americana Highways)
On ‘They Got It All,’ Lester Winchester McKendre Proves Power Trio Format Minus Guitar Works Skillfully
‘They Got It All’ is surprisingly varied, both in tempo and in lyrical themes. Maybe a better title would be ‘it only takes three.’ The trio proves that simplicity and economy work well. they need nothing else. (Jim Hynes/GLIDE magazine)
For a debut release, ‘They Got It All’ is a remarkably accomplished and confident recording. That’s not surprising based on the participant’s extensive history. The production and audio is as crisp as the playing and lyrics, while the stripped down presentation adds organic pep to clever tunes that feel fresh and inspired. (Hal Horowitz/Rock & Blues Muse)
While the leadoff track may declare ‘I’m No Amateur’, and though the players involved are Nashville vets, there is an appealing garage-band vibe that permeates the proceedings here. Engaging lyric sets and melodies that range from ear-catching pop to raucous roadhouse rock are delivered in an unvarnished fashion… (Duane Verh/Roots Music Report)
When I arrived in Columbia, SC to go to school at the University of South Carolina in the fall of 1985, the very first live band I saw playing was a red-hot rockabilly band called The 88’s, in the soon-closing Golden Spur nightclub space at the Russell House student center. All leather, pompadours, and fat-bodied guitars, it was an auspicious beginning to many years of seeing live music around Columbia…