Dan & Faith

WHO WE ARE – Dan & Faith  The sixth CD from New Hampshire-based husband-and-wife folk duo Dan and Faith Senie is a triumph!  Although as yet released for just barely a month at this writing, it has already climbed into the Top 40 on the nationwide folk chart. The album contains sixteen original songs and was produced by renowned troubadour Joe Jencks.

The song with the most airplay so far is the joyous “I Want to Sing About Love”, co-written by Faith and Jencks, and is one of my favorites on the CD. I am waiting, however, for the simple duet “My Name is George” to get the recognition it deserves. A beautiful song written by Faith, it relates a powerful message of being true to oneself and the challenge of unconditional parental love. Faith wrote seven tracks on the release, including the wistfully evocative “Twilight Time in the Meadow and the lovely lullaby “Gently Sleep.”

Nine songs are Dan’s creations, touching on a wide range of subjects. I particularly like “Ghosts”, his reflection on 9/11 some two decades later; “Dig a Hole”, about striking coal miners; “Se Llama Juanita”, a co-write with Joe Jencks about immigrants seeking asylum in the United States; and “Thanks for the Memories”, recalling his friendship with Pete and Toshi Seeger. All of the songs are excellent, with lovely harmonies and wonderful instrumental work.

In addition to Faith (ukulele, acoustic bass, mountain dulcimer, lead vocals) and Dan (guitar, banjo, lead vocals), there are significant contributions from a talented team, including Tracy Grammer (fiddle), Raianne Richards (clarinet), Joe Jencks (bouzouki, backup and  harmony vocals), Christine Stay (backup and  harmony vocals), Aidan Quinn (backup and  harmony vocals), Catherine Miles (backup and  harmony vocals), Mark Dann (bass), John Kirk (fiddle), Michael G. Ronstadt (cello), and Brad Yoder (soprano saxophone,  glockenspiel). The result is something musically quite special, and it is presented in an impressively magnificent 70-page booklet that delivers lyrics and extensive background for each track, all wrapped up in Leslie Lee’s gorgeously designed package. I highly recommend the entire experience of Dan & Faith’s Who We Are.