American Hornpipe by Dana and Susan Robinson

One of the benefits of running a concert series is getting to meet many nice people and hear their music. I just arranged to have Dana and Susan Robinson return to our Friday at the Ford concert series in 2015, and they sent us their latest CD American Hornpipe, which I am adding to our library collection.

American Hornpipe resembles a Dana and Susan Robinson concert. Both of them have their vocal solos, there is much harmonizing, and the voices are always supported by delightful guitars, a mandolin, and/or a fiddle. Some of the pieces are original compositions while others are traditional pieces, such as "Who Killed Cock Robin" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." The duo also mix in instrumentals, such as "Fair and Tender Ladies" and "Sailing Around Cape Solstice."

I particularly like "The Invitation" which Dana sang when the couple last visited us in Western Springs. I vividly remember the lines about disconnecting the phones and Internet to enjoy a vacation in nature. As summer is just about to begin (really if it will stop being cold), I was roused by "Farmers Market A-Z," eager to get locally grown farm produce myself.

What the CD does not have is the Robinsons' delightful storytelling between songs. You'll have to attend a concert for that. We'll have one, as I said, in 2015. In the meantime, enjoy a CD.

Robinson, Dana and Susan Robinson. American Hornpipe. Threshold Music, 2012.