DON HAYNIE & SHERYL SAMUEL

Don and Sheryl have learned to combine upbeat, sometimes drivingly energetic songs with wistful, thoughtful ballads, for performances with grit as well as grace. Don’s songs can make you laugh, cry, or dance as he ranges in topic from the absurdities of modern life (Chaplain of the Mall) to the poignance of family (My Grandmother’s Piano) to the mysteries of mortality (When I Cross the Great Divide). Their excellent individual voices combine in well thought-out arrangements to sound sometimes like one incredible voice, and sometimes like more than two.

Their instrumentation– Sheryl’s use of percussion interwoven with Don’s six- and twelve-string guitars– gives their music a rhythmic drive rarely found in contemporary acoustic music: sometimes working as a compelling rhythm section supporting the vocal melodies and harmonies, sometimes lending a delicate accent, and often touching their music with a world beat flavor, through the use of percussion instruments from many cultures. Their early years performing in the bars and taverns of New York and New England helped to give their music a strength not often found in singer/songwriter acts– you just can’t sing a lot of self-involved nonsense in clubs like that, not unless you can give it a great beat, and some energy and humor. Don and Sheryl have learned to combine upbeat, sometimes drivingly energetic songs with wistful, thoughtful ballads, for performances with grit as well as grace.

As innovative and refreshing as this duet’s instrumentation is, it is there mostly to support the real heart of their music, the songs themselves, and Don and Sheryl’s unique, powerful vocal harmonies. Their songs and arrangements may be the result of studying their craft (and a healthy dose of inspiration) but their vocal blend is one of those acts of nature or magic that can never really be crafted, or duplicated, only appreciated. And it’s this unique vocal quality, along with great songs and arrangements, that puts them on a level with the best.