Over The Rhine Drunkard's Prayer

Two CDs devoted to the Springfields is probably a bit much for casual fans. This set could likely have been trimmed to one 70-minute CD, leaving out "Silver Dollar," "Row Row Row" and some of the other lesser material from their first album, although it is strange in an enlightening way to hear Dusty singing the latter, a pre-World War I standard more suited to the likes of Ruth Etting. What's good is that none of the high spots are left out, including "Allentown Jail," the ethereal "Far Away Place," "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" (natch), the delightful "Little Boat" (the best of their international numbers), and the gorgeous, near-British beat style "Come On Home," where Dusty starts to show off some of the soulfulness that would later identify her voice. The notes are well detailed, and the mastering is flawless.

The Chéhadé brothers, composers and interpreters of their songs, are from Jerusalem where they were born and raised in a family where art had a prominent place.Their home was an open house for poets and musicians. Together, they can play all Arabic instruments, such as oud, bouzok, kanoun, violon, double bass, cello, nay, chabbabeh, tabla, katem, riq …).