Don Haynie & Sheryl Samuel
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Country rock, for the most part; possibly folk rock
Status:
Most recent release, Here in America (2008)
See also:
Can't find any sites out there currently (August 2022)
Comparisons:
None come to mind. (mapravat@prairienet.org)
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
See album comments, below; Playin' in the Minors is the only one of their albums I've heard. (mapravat@prairienet.org)
Recommended first album:
Playin' in the Minors is the only one we've heard
Recordings:
- Life in the Circus
- Stations
- The mMntal Health Songbook (Vol.1)
- Playin' in the Minors
- Here in America (2008)
Playin' in the Minors
Release info:
2001—HardPressed Records
Availability:
Unknown
Ecto priority:
Generally low, though country fans might find this to be of some interest. (mapravat@prairienet.org)
Group members:
Don Haynie—vocals, guitars, harmonica, mandolin
Sheryl Samuel—vocals, percussion
Guest artists:
Randy Clarlante—drums
Aaron "Louie" Hurwitz—accordion, organ, piano, synthesizer
Scott Petito—-bass
Seth Haynie—ukulele
Produced by:
Don Haynie and Sheryl Samuel
Comments:
It is an unfortunate truism that by the law of averages, not everything a critic reviews will prove stimulating. Singer-songwriters can practice their art with sincerity and integrity, and it still doesn't quite come off—for at least some reviewers, anyway. I believe I've found such a record.
Haynie and Samuel have done several previous albums, none of which I've heard. A lot of their material touches on themes common in country music: depressed areas, long-distance moves in search of jobs, relationships gone bad, etc. There are many country artists and songs I like. But this album somehow doesn't do a good job of stimulating my interest. The music and lyrics are certainly not the worst I've heard, but at the same time, they're far from state of the art. The tracks on this album tend to run unusually long, or at least seem to, and this undoubtedly contributes to listener fatigue.
The title track uses baseball as a metaphor for either life, or love; I could not figure out which. It is in that spirit that I say, No one bats 1000 all the time. (mapravat@prairienet.org)
Thanks to Mitch Pravatiner for work on this entry
