Beat Cafe

Appleseed Recordings is delighted to announce the release of "Beat Cafe," the first new Donovan CD for grown-ups since 1996's "Sutras" ("The Pied Piper," a children's CD, was issued in 2002). While "Sutras," produced by mega-hip producer Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mick Jagger) and released on Rubin's American label, emphasized Donovan's roots in folk music, "Beat Cafe" is more of a timeless state of mind than a musical genre.

Eleven new Donovan compositions (plus a version of the traditional "Cuckoo") were recorded by multiple Grammy-winning producer John Chelew (Blind Boys of Alabama, Richard Thompson, John Hiatt) "in the spirit of the Bohemian cafe happenings" that date back to the mid-19th Century, as Donovan writes in his liner notes.

"Philosophy, Beat poetry and Buddhist meditation opened the inner world of compassion and reflection."