Don't let the incessant tinkle-pounding of the opener "Tamarack Pines" detour you from Forest. It's a lovely CD that meanders like a Montanan stream through the poetry of Winston's signature cinematic style. "Forbidden Forest" gently muses with an introspective, solitary air, while "Cloudy This Morning" emulates the varying shades of gray melancholy that come with an overcast sky. These are some of Winston's best moments, when his inspiration sings through his fingers and pierces the listener's soul, forcing an aching response void of language or any conscious behavior. Winston's choice of covers reflects this transcendent, poetic tension well. Unlike the more rural Plains, where several covers come across clearly as another artist's voice, the majority of covers on Forest--particularly those of Howard Blake's music to The Snowman--match Winston's emotive paintings of sound. Forest is a beautiful collection that does justice to the sublime mystique of its namesake. --Karen K. Hugg
