Calling Ahead of Time

Ralph Cosham reads Winston's poems carefully and thoughtfully--a little too carefully, as some of the lines about tasting sand or rescuing stamp collections should not be performed so seriously. Cosham's reading is so evenly paced with generous pauses that at times it comes off as halting. There's some gentle whimsy in Winston's casual ballads, but it's masked in this recording. Winston's works may be more satisfying as a reading experience, rather than a recitation. Cosham clearly appreciates Winston's poetry but treats it too reverently for the poems to be communicated genuinely. Guitar interludes by Sean Persinger are mostly a few notes between poems. R.F. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine