‘Lonely Love’ by The Winnie Blues begins with gentle, weeping piano before beautifully delicate finger-picking is introduced along with the weary voice of Cameron Potts: “It’s time for me to leave.” It’s a carefully measured opening to a gorgeously written song, full of emotional resonance. At times, the lyrics are heart-wrenching: “I want for you the things // I could not give // So I had to cut us off // For both of us to change // And I hurt you more than // Anybody has // And probably ever will // And all I feel is shame.” Potts’ voice will grab your attention. Then, the vocal combination with Alice Beatty absolutely soars, especially when the instrumentation stops, leaving just their singing voices rising through the chorus. The final couple of minutes is a slowly building instrumental that allows all the band members to display their artistry; Chris Lippincott’s pedal steel swaying over Cameron Carrus’s bass is an atmospheric delight. It’s absorbing music to get lost in.
The accompanying visual is particularly impressive given that it was shot, edited and produced by the band using their iPhones. The approach is simple but surprisingly effective; we see Potts and Beatty in turn, walking and then dancing towards the camera as they navigate the streets of Nashville.
Cameron Potts and Alice Beatty are at the centre of The Winnie Blues. The story of how they got together sounds like fiction. Both from Australia, they met at a gig in New York City. After bonding over their shared accents, they had a drink and moved on. Many months later, they met by chance in a bar in Nashville and discovered that they had both moved to Music City, independently of one another, and were living in the same neighbourhood. Shortly afterwards, they began writing together, which Beatty describes as: “…like breathing properly for the first time. Sitting in that room with Cam, generally speaking, there is such an ease in his disposition. I remember thinking how musically talented he was, but there was an absence of ego. I was also caught off guard by his ability to actively listen and seek to understand without judgement. No idea was too small or too silly. That all happened in the first five mins of our co-write, so with this level of comfort and confidence in each other- the songs just started tumbling out of us.” The result is their debut album, ‘Half Wide Awake, but Dreaming’, which is out now. ‘Lonely Love’ is the fourth single from the album and a great introduction to their melodic take on Americana. Heartbreak in beautiful musical form. Enjoy.
