CD Reviews - The Sun Will Shine
 Twój Blues (P) - #24 2006 - PDF of a 2 pg interview and Sun Review
- Virus de Blues - René Maline review of The Sun Will Shine CD
- bluesnews (D) - our first review of The Sun Will Shine CD
PDFscan of the original article, CLICK HERE for English translation! thnx Jan!
- CD Reviews - PDF
- Bluesboarder #141 Sun -FR - -Eng-
- Bluesnews #43 Sun -D- -Eng-
- ZicaZic 05/06 Sun/Rest -FR- -Eng-
- Virus de Blues 06/06 -FR- -Eng-
- Bobtjes Blues -Eng- -NL-
L&D in the press
CD Reviews - Long Gone
- Rolling Stone, Chris Rea , LG #2 of top ten CD's!!! -PDF-
- Twoj Blues (P) - A great review from Poland that finally made it's way to us! (Eng translation)
- IL BLUES (IT) - Our first review of 'Long Gone' in Italy!! (in Italian)
- JAZZ HOT from their 2002/03 CD suppliment, (In French w/ Eng translation)
- Blues & Co. issue#21 Review of 'Long Gone' CD (In French w/ Eng translation)
- Bluesboarder - 08/02 Review of 'Long Gone' CD (In French w/ Eng translation)
- Rollin' & Tumblin' - 08/02 Review of 'Long Gone' CD (In French w/ Eng translation)
- SOUL BAG 08/02 Review of 'Long Gone' CD (In French w/ Eng translation)
- ONLINE REVIEWS!!! Docteur Blues Review of 'Long Gone' CD
- ONLINE REVIEWS!!! Bleau Blanc Blues Review of 'Long Gone' CD
CD Reviews - Travelin' Blues
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Concert Critique
Other - articles about Lance and Donna
Interviews
PressBook-PDF
FAQ
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Some of our favorite press quotes:
“ ... They made a lot of people very happy at the festival, as the night continued until very late by the grace of the ‘roots duo’ from Nashville, Lance and Donna, two atypical people who's human and musical way is extraordinary.”
Festival National de Blues
Le Creusot, FR
Guitarist Magazine
“Lance is a great musician: from his 42 dollar guitar, he pulls the sounds more ‘roots’ than you can imagine... in concert, they are capable of miracles.”
Bluesboarder Magazine
“They are good in every sense of the word, good, really good! They have enough talent for four, for ten, perhaps for the whole world!”
Cognac Blues Passion Cognac, FR
Sud Ouest
“A ‘must see’ for their authentic style !”
Dunkerque, FR
“They dive into the music like Obélix into a magic potion... Evenings like this, one asks for again.”
Le Courrier Nord-Est Hebdo
“This is special, they take you to a magic dimension: ‘rural groove’! Lance & Donna elevate the slide guitar to the level of ‘world music’. ”
Bluesboarder Magazine
“They were flat channeling the tortured souls of the likes of ‘Howlin’ Wolf’ and ‘Big’ Joe Turner out of the depths and onto that stage.”
Michael Nott, Nashville Tennessee
“Lance and Donna, two American favorites of the festival.”
Cognac Blues Passion Sud Ouest
“The ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ of the blues ... a duo to be discovered with all urgency!”
Festival National de Blues Le Creusot, FR
Le Courrier
“They sweat the blues... they play tight and demanding music which spits out slices of life, be they pleasant or not ... Lance and Donna left a really big impression on this festival!”
Cognac Blues Passion Sud Ouest
“The Song of the Heart”
Cognac Blues Passion Charente Libre
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IL BLUES
Trimestrale Di Cultura Musicale
N.84 Settembre 2003
Lance & Donna - Long Gone
Bad, I Know Every Train, Turtle Stew, Last Night,
Full House, Candy man, Bad Water, Can’t Stop Lovin’,
I’m in the Mood for Love, Sugar, Long Distance Call,
Evil, The Sun Will Shine, Long Gone Blues
Lance Harrison (voc, g), Donna Howley (voc, perc)
Nel 1992 il destino volle che questi due personaggi della scena musicale di Nashville, Lance Harrison voce e chitarre e Donna Howley percussioni e voce, rimanessero senza casa e lavoro. L'episodio fece riaffiorare in loro il sogno di vivere di musica sulla strada. Iniziarono in tal modo una nuova vita, non certo priva di imprevisti, quella dell'hobo, girando mezzo mondo per quattro anni e suonando liberamente quello stile di musica che hanno sempre prediletto, il blues, e per giunta quello più vicino possibile alle radici.
Nel 1996, arrivarono in Europa e decisero di conoscerla a bordo di un vecchio camper, ma un guasto al motore li fermo in Francia dove,durante una loro esibizione per strada, furono scoperti da un promoter e presentatinei blues club e sui palchi dei festival, acquisendo larghi consensi un po' ovunque. Momentaneamente vivono in Germania a Colonia, il camper lo hanno fatto riparare e la voglia di stare sulla strada non è mai venuta meno. Questo CD rappresenta il loro esordio discografico nel vecchio continente e non poteva che essere un live, registrato il 17 gennaio dello scorso anno al Kaschamm di Colonia. Le tracce sono quattordici di cui dieci firmate da Lance, che le sottopone con disinvoltura e passionalità e, volendo sommarle, ne esce un quadro espressivo della loro vita. Forse c'è stato un momento dove per non farsi sopraffare hanno dovuto essere un po' più cattivi, "Bad", è il primo blues suonato da Lance con la resophonic e cantato con tonalità forti. Ogni hobo che si rispetti ha viaggiato, più o meno clandestinamente, sui treni al punto da conoscerli molto bene, "I Know Every Train" è segnato da una contratta chitarra elettrica. C'è sempre un'ultima notte prima di affrontare un nuovo viaggio, " Last Night" è un sentito slow blues. Forse inconsciamente prima o poi qualche hobo sogna un casa piena di ricordi ed affetti, "Full House" ha il suo punto più alto nel canto, piuttosto che nella chitarra acustica. La necessità di chi vive sulla strada porta a volte ad usufruire di acqua cattiva, "Bad Water" è un blues dal passo ritmico. Il musicista di strada porta con sé poche ma inseparabili cose tra le quali i modelli ispiratori che, per Lance e compagna, sono Mississippi John Hurt, ricordato con "Candy Man", Elmore James con "Can't Stop Lovin", Muddy Waters con "Long Distance Call" e John Lee Hooker con "I'm In The Mood For Love", in quest' ultimo pezzo si nota la presenza di Donna Howley al canto, anche se in comproprietà con Lance.Il suo ruolo nel compact è finalizzato all'accompagnamento con il rainstick, quello strumento di legno concavo con all'interno i chicchi di riso e come coautrice per due pezzi. Le rivisitazioni risultano personali, appassionate e ben riuscite. I musicisti di strada, solo per il fatto di aver computo una scelta simile, non hanno molti desideri, il più importante forse è vedere ogni gioco il sole splendere e con "The Sun Will Shine" scriviamo la parola fine, non prima però di consigliavi di avvicinarvi a questa coppia procurandovi il dischetto. Magari in un giomo di sole.
- Silavo Brambilla
Link to jpeg of the article
Twoj Blues (Poland) -Issue Number 10, September 2002
The life of the American duo, Lance and Donna, from Nashville, is made of blues and eternal travel around the world.
He is the singer and guitar-player, playing different kinds of guitars, which can only be compared with Bob Brozman, and his companion plays the background with percussion instruments, singing sometimes in duo with Lance. It is the third album but the first live album, recorded in Cologne, Germany. The Blues Troubadours, as they call themselves, recorded their albums always in different countries, but always with the same theme: their own compositions and classics from blues legends.
Splendid guitar, interesting voices, their own compositions, very original interpretations with emotional depth classify this duo into the world’s best of this genre.
BLUESNEWS Ausgabe 43
Oktober -Dezember 2005
Lance & Donna
The Sun Will Shine
(Dog & Bone Records, 59:21)
Die beiden halten sich nun schon eine ganze Weile mit ihrem Troubadour-Dasein und ihrem Blues über Wasser: Lance & Donna sind ständig unterwegs und tingeln mit minimaler Ausstattung, die sie live sehr effektiv einsetzen, durch die Lande. Und sie machen überall dort Halt, wo Bretter manchmal für Augenblicke die Welt bedeuten können. In solchen Momenten geht gelegentlich tatsächlich in irgendeiner Weise die Sonne auf, selbst bei Regen. So auch neulich in Rudolstadt, wo Lance & Donna beim alljährlichen Musikfest zu den Publikumslieblingen zählten und mit dem Song „The Sun Will Shine“ vor Ort einen kleinen Hit landeten. Den kann man jetzt auch auf dieser CD hören, die von den beiden im Juni dieses Jahres an nur einem Tag in einem Kölner Studio eingespielt wurde. Das Erstaunliche ist wieder einmal, dass fast nur Eigenkompositionen geboten werden: 15 der 16 Titel stammen aus eigener Feder, abkupfern sollen halt andere. Nun is gut interpretiert allemal besser als schlechter Stoff aus Eigenregie, aber Lance & Donna verstehen es auch, ihre Songs authentisch und bisweilen gar mit schönen Finessen rüberzubringen. Ein hörbar versierter Gitarrist, sowhl akustisch als auch elektrisch, ist Lance Harrison allemal, und das wurde ihm, glaubt man dem schön gestalteten und mit vielen Photos angeteicherten Booklet, buchstäblich in die Wiege gelegt: Seine Mutter legte ihm als Baby eine Ukelele ins Bettchen, und das mag wohl die Geburtsstunde für sein späteres Leben als Musiker gewesen sein. Dezente perkussive Rainstick Begleitung von Donna Howley, die zugleich auch als (Background) Säangerin agiert, rundet diese knapp einstündige CD ab, die auf sehr angenehme Weise zeigt, dass sich hier wirklich zwei Menschen traditioneller Blues-Musik verschrieben haben und zu eigenen Akzenten fähig sind. (mt) - Michael Tiefensee
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BLUESNEWS English translation! thnx Jan!
October- December 2005 issue
Review of "The Sun Will Shine"
These two have survived for some time now through their troubadour lifestyle and the blues. Lance & Donna are constantly on the road throughout this world with little equipment, which they use very effectively during live shows. Their next stop is always a stage, which for the duration of a show is the center of their universe. During these moments the sun often seems to shine, even in the rain. Recently, audiences experienced this phenomena at the annual Rudolstadt Music Festival where Lance and Donna were crowd favorites. They had a festival hit with their tune "The Sun Will Shine," which can be heard on their latest CD, released in June. An album that was recorded in only one day at a Cologne studio. Once again, almost all songs are originals. 15 of the 16 songs on the album were written by the duo, leaving other bands the unenviable task of covering. While decent covers may be better than lifeless originals for some performers, Lance and Donna create songs that sound and feel authentic. The nuances of the music really come across during live performances. Lance is a well versed guitarist, both in the acoustic and electric styles. And if one believes the story in the well made CD booklet, which contains many pictures, then one comes to find out the birth of Lance's musical career. When Lance was a baby, his mother laid an ukulele in his cradle! The music on the hour-long CD is rounded out by the percussive art of Donna Howley who plays rainstick and sings backup. These two interesting musicians manifest traditional blues music and bring it across in a unique way.
Thank you Jan for the translation!
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Virus de Blues
Lance & Donna
The Sun Will Shine
Dog & Bone Records
2005
(59'29")
Retour discographique du sympathique couple de Nashville, Tennessee. Que pourrait-on dire encore sur ces troubadours du blues qui n'ait déjà été dit ? Et pourtant, ces deux-là arrivent encore à surprendre. D'abord en composant 15 titres sur 16. Eux qu'on a connu plus portés sur les reprises, ils sont aujourd'hui tellement imprégnés des modèles originaux que leur propre écriture réussit l'exploit d'être originale tout en sonnant comme les blues des anciens. A la différence que Lance & Donna bénéficient des possibilités actuelles des studios, ce qui a pour effet de donner un son cristallin aux instruments, pour la plupart acoustiques, utilisés ici. Si Donna est toujours aussi discrète au rainstick parfaitement mixé, donnant à son compagnon la pulsation juste quand c'est nécessaire, elle chante également, tantôt en faisant le chœur sur un refrain, tantôt partageant le lead pour un savoureux dialogue avec Lance. Quant à lui, est-ce une impression ? Il semble qu'il ait ajouté diverses facettes à son chant, colorant ainsi les divers titres de l'album d'intonations variées, plus encore qu'auparavant. Quant à son jeu, que ce soit à la guitare acoustique, à la guitare à résonateur, à la lapsteel ou au ukulélé, on le sait, l'homme n'est pas manchot. Au final, un album plein de fraîcheur aux textes goûteux, un de ces petits bonheurs comme seuls de véritables hobos d'aujourd'hui savent vous les tourner.
René Malines
Click here to read René's critique of the Lance Harrison Band "No Rest For The Wicked"
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Olsztyn festival's review published in Twoj Blues issue 22, autumn of 2005.
"Lance & Donna were the first American artists that Saturday. I must admit that after listening to their CD a was afraid of how they will do on such a big stage and audience, but after only couple of minutes my worries disappeared. There was so much energy and fire in their music and audience fell for them from the beginning and sang along with them. Thanks to the organizers for bringing such a great duo to Poland.
Andrzej Matysik".
Bobtjes Blues
Lance & Donna - "The Sun Will Shine": Full-cd - US
Sometimes life takes a strange turn. All's running smoothly and surely but suddenly something happens which throws all your certainties overboard, the peripetia in ancient Greek tragedy…although it sometimes more resembles a comedy, because often it's better to laugh away your trouble. But the blues'll get ya, that's for sure. Now take Lance Harrison and Donna Howley performing in Nashville as Lance & Donna, exploiting a demo studio. Then in '92 fate struck. In one stroke they lost everything. After that they hitchhiked around the globe (Afrika seems to be the only continent they left out) In Europe they rode around in a camping car. Until one day bad luck lifted its head again: their engine exploded which brought them in contact with a French festival promoter. So they became well known guests on the European blues scene and they worked together with a lot of great names in the blues. The Sun Will Shine is their sixth CD they put out as Lance & Donna since '92 (there's also the Germany based Lance Harrison Band: see the recent review of No Rest For The Wicked in BBP) and showcases a large variety of styles between country blues and rootsy Americana, all of which is original material except for the funny closing song, Aba Daba Honeymoon, in 1914 a true ragtime hit! Donna's input consists of vocal support, manipulating the rainstick and co-authorship in some songs. The rest is for Lance. It can easily be understood that the man can play a mean acoustic guitar (resonator, ukulele, lap steel), but also knows how to sing and write fine songs. It's as if you've heard these songs hundreds of times: they immediately sound familiar, the same effect as with a Chris Cotton or Terry Daily. Something for their fans, or of those of Leon Redbone, as it sometimes sounds like the Canadian (Sugar) We like most the songs referring to the early days of the blues like the whining Full House.
Reviewed by: Antoine Légat
Info: The Sun Will Shine / Dog and Bone Records / DBR-003
Website: www.lance-n-donna.com
E-mail: blues@lance-n-donna.com
Bobtjes Blues
Lance & Donna - "The Sun Will Shine": Full-cd - US
Het gaat soms raar in het leven. Alles wijst erop dat je bedje gespreid is en plotseling gebeurt er iets dat alle zekerheden overboord gooit. Dat is de peripetie van de antieke tragedie…al heeft het vaak eerder de schijn van een komedie, want lachen om je ongeluk is ook een vorm van verwerking. Maar de blues die krijg je er van, zeker weten. Neem nu Lance Harrison en Donna Howley die in Nashville optraden als Lance & Donna, en daar een demo studio uitbaatten. In '92 sloeg het noodlot toe. Van de ene dag op de andere waren ze alles, maar dan ook alles kwijt. Dan maar met pak en zak liftend de wereld afgedweild als echte blues troubadours (Afrika is het enige continent dat ze niet schijnen bezocht te hebben) Europa deden ze aan met een camping car. Waarna het lot weer van zijn oren maakte: een ontplofte motor bracht hen in contact met een Franse festival organisator. Zo werden ze veel geziene gasten op de Europese bluespodia en werkten ze samen met een vloot groten uit de blues. The Sun Will Shine is hun zesde cd onder de naam Lance & Donna sinds '92 (er is ook de in Duitsland gevestigde Lance Harrison Band: zie de recente review op BBP van No Rest For The Wicked) en vertoont een brede waaier aan stijlen tussen country blues en rootsy americana, allemaal eigen werk op het grappige afsluitende Aba Daba Honeymoon na, in 1914 een onvervalste ragtime hit! Donna beperkt zich tot vocale steun, het bedienen van de rainstick en het medepennen van enkele nummers. De rest is voor Lance. Het laat zich raden dat de man zich aardig kan verdedigen als songschrijver, zanger en snarenplukker (resonator, akoestische, ukelele en lap steel) Het is alsof je deze nummers al honderd keer hebt gehoord. Ze klinken meteen vertrouwd, zoals dat ook gebeurt bij een Chris Cotton of Terry Daily. Iets voor hun fans, of die van Leon Redbone, want zo klinkt het wel vaker (Sugar) Wij houden vooral van de deunen die verwijzen naar de begindagen van de blues zoals Full House, een echte whining song.
Recensent: Antoine Légat
Info: The Sun Will Shine / Dog and Bone Records / DBR-003
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