Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Waterdeep fans might recognize Don and Lori as members of that band. This music dates from the time before Waterdeep stepped from the shadows of obscurity and began to make a name for themselves in the mid ‘90’s on the independent circuit. They worked as singer/songwriters and also formed the band that would provide the basic dna for Waterdeep, Hey Ruth. This is a double CD packed with 30 songs from 1990-1993. The CD begins with Lori’s first college recordings which feature Don before the couple had fallen in love. There’s a subtle beauty, best illustrated on “Galeana” and “Indian Story”.
Forming Hey Ruth, the band’s first demos are captured here, “His Perfection” is a percussive driven thing. As for Don’s solo material, his early work is featured here including “The Animal”, the song he sang at The New Earth Coffeehouse which would eventually become the springboard for everything that would happen. Material from the two Hey Ruth recordings is featured on both CDs, so you get an idea of what the band was about too. There’s plenty here that is appealing. Obviously not as sophisticated as their later work but a fascinating window into Don and Lori’s development.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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