donal
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donal
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hinely
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Glass Stories Begins Spinning its Tales July 2004
Featuring glasses, cello, and guitar, Glass Stories is Donal Hinely's first all instrumental CD since the 2000 release Ghost Fiddle Suite. If early reviews are any indication, it may be his best yet. At turns haunting and ethereal, the CD is an eclectic collection of original, traditional, and popular material. Recorded in Nashville with co-producer and cellist David Henry, stand out tunes include "Ashokan Farewell", "Lord of the Dance", and a memorable take on the old Beatles favorite "Strawberry Fields Forever". Henry showcases his talents both as a cellist and as a producer, helping to bring a fresh, creative approach to the material. There are a wide variety of sounds and emotions on Glass Stories. From the melancholy minor of the title track to the more playfully melodic Henry tune "Coffee Drinker's Lullaby", the artists experiment with tasteful additions to the glass, guitar and cello mix such as ukulele, mandolin, percussion, and most notably the somber sound of an itinerant preacher's pump organ on "The Parting Glass". For glass purists, four of the songs--including the Scottish favorite "Loch Lomond"--are glass solos recorded in one take with no over-dubs, capturing the spirit of the instrument as one might hear it live. Two other songs--the shimmering "Rose's Lament" and the traditional "Bonny Portmore"--use the simple formula of glass and guitar once featured by the duo Glasnots. For all of its adventurous spirit, Glass Stories remains a cohesive whole. It's eclectic parts flow naturally together offering something for everyone in a total listening experience.
♣
We Built a Fire Runner Up for Best Americana Album
We Built a Fire was recently selected as one of five finalists for the Indie Acoustic Project's "Best CDs of 2001 to 2003" Awards in the Americana category. The CD was selected from over a thousand entries. On April 14, 2004, Rodney Crowell's Houston Kid was announced as the winner in the category. Congratulations to this fine singer/songwriter whose illustrious career spans almost 4 decades. Houston Kid is a fantastic album and deserves the praise it has received.
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We Built a Fire Runner Up in Top Award
Just Plain Folks, the net's largest networking group of songwriters, recording artists, publishers, and other industry professionals, recently voted We Built a Fire as runner up for album of the year in the Americana category. The song "Gasoline" was also second place for song of the year. Although agonizingly close in both categories, this artist is still honored considering that the nominations were gleaned from a review of over 7,800 CDs released in 2002. Just Plain Folk's nearly 20,000 members reflect the full range of the music industry, including independent artists, Grammy and Academy Award winners, hit songwriters, and board members of ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Winners were announced March 1, 2003 at an awards show in Los Angeles.
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New Donal Hinely CD Finally Here!
A year of sweat, toil, caffeine
overload, and ATM withdrawals has finally paid off. The result is
We Built a Fire,
a personal and dynamic collection of tunes from an enthusiastic observer of the
human condition. This marks the second collaboration with producer David Henry
whose growing resume includes working with such artists as REM, Widespread
Panic, Cowboy Junkies, Josh Rouse, Yo La Tengo, and Guster. Hinely's vocal,
guitar, and glass harmonica are joined by a crack band of talented musicians.
Chief among these is Waxy Silver recording artist Will Kimbrough whose signature
style has made him one of the most sought after guitarists in Nashville. Having
worked with the likes of
Todd
Snider and Rodney Crowell, Kimbrough's thick textures and fresh, tasteful riffs
animate these songs, complimenting powerful and sometimes haunting imagery.
Three drummers were utilized over the course of the project. For their parts,
Dave Harrison (Edwin McCain) and Tommy Williams (Matthew Ryan) offer up solid
rhythm and percussion while Ken Coomer (Wilco,Swag) showcases the rootsy yet
unconventional approach that has garnered him international attention. The
bass is anchored by co-producer David Henry who also adds his trademark cello to
the mix. There are a number of other surprises including a guest appearance by
Lost Highway recording artist Kim Richey, who lends her distinctive backing
vocals on three of the tracks. Hinely himself pushes the envelope for fans of
the glass harmonica by using the instrument in some new and interesting ways on
the title track and on the songs "Drunkard Moon" and "Easier." We Built a Fire
reflects both the great Texas storytelling tradition of Hinely's roots and the
telling influence of artists like John Hiatt, Steve Earle, and Richard Thompson,
weaving together tales of hard luck, love, missed opportunity, and die-hard
hope.
♥
Contact:
3064 Old New Cut Road
Springfield, TN. 37172
(615)384-9872
©2005 donal hinely