Album Notes

Welcome to Donna Linton’s world of contemporary performance and recording, where influences of the Beatles, George Winston, Vince Guaraldi, Liz Story, Erik Satie, and Debussy collide. Fresh, creative, soul-stirring, immensely soothing are adjectives listeners use when they hear her debut CD, The Driftwood Trip.

Driftwood is shaped and colored by its journey as currents carry it through rapids and quiet pools. It encounters rocks and other obstacles. The sun dries it on landfall. The journey sculpts it into a unique shape and gives it a satin-like patina.

In the same way, the ever-changing moments of our journey through life shape our character. The songs on this CD reflect the interweavings of our lives with the lives of friends and loved ones. Each moment enriches us and sculpts us as we continue on our own driftwood trip.

The album features 14 original piano solos complimented by bass, cello, and fiddle. It began with a composition written in memory of Donna’s friend, Sharan. Friends, family, and special memories became the theme as the album evolved. The music moves from pieces with fun, toe-tapping Southern charm—the delightful Down At The Swimmin’ Hole — to soul-stirring pieces like Night At Big Bend and Back At The Ranch.

"All of the compositions are small labors of love. “I am a Texas girl surrounded by beautiful Southern people and places,” Donna says. “You definitely can feel the South calling you in these songs. For me, a song typically starts with a little musical idea or motif. As I begin to develop a piece, a subject dances into my mind's eye and comes out of my fingers. As this album evolved, family and friends became the theme of many of the compositions. I hope your soul savors them with a smile."

Donna Linton operates a successful, innovative teaching studio that houses numerous pianos and a host of busy, squirming, wonderful children. She also is the mother of two young boys and music director of her church.