Alex Winston

Detroit native Alex Winston puts forth lighthearted tunes packed with personality. At the Neon Gold/Chess Club CMJ showcase, she stocked her stage with a variety of performers to produce those tunes; though Winston was backed by three instrumentalists and two background singers, however, the show was all about her. At times, that made sense - Winston is a dynamic performer who knows her way around a crowd and a microphone. At other times, however, Winston bordered on the edge of being a diva, hamming it up more than performing. "This is the only love song you'll get out of me," she said at one point. "And it's dirty," she added sassily. Unfortunately Winston's voice couldn't back up her charm, and more than once her background singers were forced to cover for her as her voice gave out in higher octaves. Had the set felt like a group performance, that sort of slip may have passed unnoticed. Instead, it was disappointingly exposed.