Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dana Robinson celebrates life, landscape and the life-force of the natural world with The Sound Of The Word – his first album in seven years.

FIRST ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS

I found myself wondering why he’d taken so long.  The Sound Of The Word is singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dana Robinson’s first album in seven years.  And it’s packed with songs that, surely, have been bursting to make themselves public property.

It’s actually his 14^th full-length recording in a career that stretches right back to his 1995 debut release, Elemental Lullabye.  Born in Eugene, Oregon, Dana Robinson is a much-travelled individual.  He was raised in the Bay Area of California and spent time in London during his schooldays. When he finally settled, it was first in Massachusetts and, latterly, in his off-grid cabin in Northern Vermont.  He toured and recorded with his wife, Susan, between 2002 and 2019 before resuming his solo career.

A MAN OF MANY TALENTS

It seems that there ain’t much that Dana Robinson can’t tackle.  On the Sound Of The Word, he plays acoustic, electric and lap steel guitars, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass and harmonica.  And, if all that isn’t enough, he’s also a chef, a baker and a concert and festival organizer.  For the album, he’s joined by drummers Ezra Oklan and Daiki Hirano, bassist Mitch Barron and keyboardist Michael Hartigan.  Wife Susan is here, too, on vocals and piano and the line-up is completed by vocalist Patti Casey.  The sound they make is, as we’re about to see, uniformly excellent.

Dana’s music is a heady blend of folk, rock and country influences and his lyrics are a celebration of life, landscape and the natural world.  He isn’t averse to tackling such subjects as social division and climate change but, whether his subject matter is sociological or observational, the feel of his music is consistently upbeat and optimistic.  The Sound of the Word is an exhilarating album.

ROUSING TUNES & MOMENTS OF CONTEMPLATION

The majority of the songs on The Sound of the Word are Dana’s own compositions, but it’s a traditional number, The Farmer is the Man that Feeds Us All, that gets the album underway.  A solid drumbeat provides the intro to a spiky guitar figure – with syrupy sweetening applied, courtesy of Dana’s fiddle.  Dana’s vocals sound sincere and sit in gentle contrast the gritty accompaniment – and the song’s folky roots shine through.

Dana leads the way into Raspberry Cane with his countrified fiddle.  The backing is sharp, rich and mellow, the vocals are engaging and the rousing mix of fiddle, banjo and harmonica is, quite simply, delicious.  In contrast, the album’s title track provides a moment of contemplation.  Dana’s lyrics advocate the negative over the positive, in a gentle, laid-back song.  There’s a suggestion of Cat Stevens in Dana’s voice and in the soft production – particularly in the mix of the guitar, piano and drums.

The pace picks up for Rocky Horse, a short, vibrant instrumental that will appeal to anyone with taste for all things Fairport.  The bass and drums are crackling as they provide the foundation for Dana’s joyful, keening, fiddle.  And that upbeat pace is retained for Hog of the Forsaken, a song written by Greenwich Village legend Michael Hurley.  Dana’s sharp, percussive guitar provides the drive, whilst his fiddle looks after the high end.  It’s another Cat Stevens-like vocal and the band sound as though they’re having a great time.

FACING THE DILEMMA

Things head in a jazzy direction for Stepping Stone.  The piano sound is delightful and the jazzy picture is completed by solid bass, subtle drums and just the right amount of guitar.  With another excellent vocal delivery, Dana varies his tone between understatement and outright passion.

With lines like: “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to run away.  I’d rather live my life without changing my ways,” Dana captures the dilemma that faces all of us, as climate change gathers pace, yet we continue to do the things that cause it.  He makes a serious and valid point, and it’s dressed in a bright, country-flavoured tune, awash with jangly, twanging, guitars.

GRAB YOUR PARTNER!

Springtime, Etc sparkles as warmly as the early summer sun, and the seasons continue to roll around for the summery Dandelions.  The dandelion heads have been blown away, the grass grows tall and the good ol’ boys sit around – all to the lazy tones of Dana’s fiddle.

The sound of Dana’s banjo gets gradually louder as the band hove into view for Billy in the Lowground, the album’s raucous, joyous climax.  Fiddle, banjo, bass and drums blend wonderfully together to round off a splendid album.  Put the whiskey on ice and grab your partner.  It’s tunes like this one that remind us that life is, after all, worth living.  It’s early days, I know, but I reckon that The Sound Of The Word might just be the best thing I’ve heard so far this year…

Listen to Billy in the Lowground – the album’s raucous closing track – below:

Dana Robinson: Website

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