Details of
Nameless Heart
by Donna Lynn Caskey


Producer: Mark Hallman
Engineer: Mark Hallman and André Moran
Recorder At: The Congress House Studio
Mastered By: Mark Hallman


About the Album

Donna Lynn Caskey wants to bless your soul with the restorative power of five-string banjo. Her debut album, Nameless Heart, consists of twelve original songs that take a pure, timeless sound to heartfelt, comforting and sometimes edgy new places that honor the venerated instrument while stretching its boundaries. 

Stretching boundaries comes naturally to Donna Lynn, who received a scholarship for an intensive “Clawhammer Banjo by Ear” class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC shortly before leaving her hometown on the coast of Virginia for California in 2001. She began writing songs three months later.

With a degree in Visual Art, her songs are correspondingly quite painterly. “Slot Machine” (previously recorded by Julie Christensen) elicits a vivid picture of the gamble of love. A sassy “Flower Print Dress” (also featured in the 2014 Banjo Babes Calendar & Album) symbolizes ill-advised romance amid a lush, southern June. “The Good News” pans for gold in the mud of life and, like many of Caskey’s songs, inspires listeners to sing along.

Grammy-nominated producer Mark Hallman (Carole King, Ani DiFranco, Eliza Gilkyson) adds just the right amount of vocals, percussion, guitar, bass, bouzouki, piano and studio warmth to the arrangements to tastefully support Donna Lynn and her classic banjo sound.

Track Listing:

1. Time of Delight – 4:10

2. The Good News – 3:44

3. Slot Machine – 3:56

4. Flower Print Dress – 4:39

5. Who Will Care? – 4:21

6. They Go On – 4:05

7. Lost Before Found – 4:25

8. Dragon Lady – 3:14

9. Nameless Heart – 2:44

10. Good for What Ails Me – 4:41 

11. I’m Not Going Anywhere – 4:30

12. Worthy – 4:56

All Songs are FCC-Friendly