Search - Danny Carnahan, Robin Petrie :: Cut & Run

Guitar infused folk with Celtic undercurrents

loce_the_wizard | Lilburn, GA USA | 04/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As near as I can tell, Danny Carnahan and Robin Petrie, who have been performing and recording together since the 1970s, have released five CDs and "Cut and Run" is the only one readily available. That's a shame for several reasons, but mostly because listening to "Cut and Run" only whets the appetite for more of this duos output. Released in 1994, this CD still sounds fresh, perhaps because instead of playing to trends, they, like many folk-oriented musicians, draw from traditions. Guitar infused folk happens to be the dominant element here, and Mr. Carnahan more than holds his own with a trio of nimble-fingered guests: Richard Thompson (Thompson completists will want to know he appears on three tracks), Henry Kaiser (playing with Carnahan and Thompson on Girls in Black), and Martin Simpson on Spoils of War. But there is a strong Celtic undercurrent throughout. Mr. Carnahan and Ms. Petrie deliver some excellent fluid, interwoven vocal harmonies, and she adds depth with some tasteful hammered dulcimer and accordion. A number of other musical guests and an excellent rhythm section combine to keep things lively. (And Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter penned the words on Laughing in the Dark, one of the strongest tracks in this session.)Many of the songs deal with the travails of human relations, some such as The Mango Song will bring a smile, but others including Penny for the Guy, Begging Bowl, and Spoils of War fulfill folk music's common role as an avenue for social and political commentary."

Enrergetic and Involving

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/06/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Listeners who enjoy the rollicking, robust folk music of Richard Thompson, for example, should get a real kick out of this CD from Danny Carnahan and Robin Petrie, a CD on which Richard Thompson and several other musical notables chip in. Carnahan and Petrie are excellent singers both solo and in tandem, the songs are interesting, and the musical arrangements are really tight. This is music that gets its grip on you and just won't let go: energetic, involving, and infectious--and those three words also describe the sound quality."