Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-07-17
As Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey brings the ancient world back to the big screen, singer-songwriter and violinist Robin Batteau offers a musical journey into the same civilization with Banned in Sparta, an 11-song collection built from the surviving words of ancient Greece’s great lyric poets.
If that era had a soundtrack, it might sound uncannily like Batteau’s magical, mystical Banned in Sparta. The album draws from shards of pottery and scraps of parchment left behind by poets including Archilochus, Sappho and Alcaeus—the original singer-songwriters, who performed with lyres much as Bob Dylan or Taylor Swift perform with guitars today.
Batteau built the songs like a paleontologist assembling a Tyrannosaurus rex, filling the gaps in the ancient fragments with musical bones of his own devising. To bring them fully to life, he recruited voices from the modern era of singer-songwriting, including Eric Andersen, Carolyn Hester, Livingston Taylor, Kate Taylor, Tom Paxton and Robin Lane.
The album also features Tony Award-winning actor James Naughton and his children Greg and Keira Naughton, along with Batteau and Matt Nakoa.
The result is a contemporary folk mosaic that feels both ancient and modern—a musical companion to the world Homer walked through and the themes that continue to resonate through The Odyssey.
“Stolen in Love,” performed by Greg Naughton, presents a modern take on ancient seduction through words, recalling the spellbinding power Homer gives to Odysseus, Penelope and the gods.
Carolyn Hester performs “In Her Loving Arms,” the story of a dangerous and irresistible muse on Mount Helicon, the mountain where poets sought divine inspiration.
James Naughton lends his voice to “Archilochus Re-Deemed,” portraying a warrior-poet declaring his loyalty to the god of war and reflecting the combination of battlefield grit and lyrical contemplation found throughout Homer’s work.
Kate Taylor’s “Telesilla’s On the Wall” becomes a feminist anthem about women defending their city, paralleling Penelope’s quiet heroism and Athena’s martial wisdom.
On “Sweetly Smiling,” Livingston Taylor offers a tribute to Sappho through the eyes of Alcaeus, exploring the beguiling power of beauty that threads throughout Greek mythology.
Robin Lane performs “Terracotta Heart,” a plea to Aphrodite filled with heartbreak, devotion and divine intervention—the emotional engine of Greek storytelling.
Tom Paxton brings a playful, Appalachian-tinted spirit to “Thracian Filly,” bridging the ancient and modern worlds with the kind of folk humor Homer used to humanize gods and mortals.
Matt Nakoa’s “Theater of Memory (Man of Gold)” explores ambition, lust and legacy, themes Odysseus confronts throughout his journey, delivered through mythic storytelling and piano-driven arrangements.
On “How Can You Love Me,” Batteau portrays a man confronting his own legend and wondering whether love can survive reputation and absence.
Keira Naughton’s “The Most Beautiful Thing in the World” reflects on beauty and loss, reaching toward the emotional center of Homer’s epic, where each victory comes with the cost of something precious.
Eric Andersen closes the album with “Cross (of Gold),” a Catullus-rooted confession delivered with trembling emotional clarity.
The album connects Batteau’s long history as a songwriter and collaborator with his fascination for the ancient voices that laid the foundation for much of Western poetry and storytelling.
Batteau has also shared a musical history with Kevin Bacon and Michael Bacon. The three appeared together on Marlo Thomas’ Grammy-winning album Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long, while members of Buskin & Batteau’s nine-piece band later joined The Bacon Brothers when Buskin & Batteau became a trio.
BANNED IN SPARTA TRACK LIST
1. “Stolen in Love” — Greg Naughton
2. “In Her Loving Arms” — Carolyn Hester
3. “Archilochus Re-Deemed” — James Naughton
4. “Telesilla’s On the Wall” — Kate Taylor
5. “Sweetly Smiling” — Livingston Taylor
6. “Terracotta Heart” — Robin Lane
7. “Thracian Filly” — Tom Paxton
8. “Theater of Memory (Man of Gold)” — Matt Nakoa
9. “How Can You Love Me” — Robin Batteau
10. “The Most Beautiful Thing in the World” — Keira Naughton
11. “Cross (of Gold)” — Eric Andersen
For more information, visit robinbatteau.com.
