Tribal Waters: Music From Native Americans CD

Tribal Waters is part of the four-part "Tribal" series that also features Tribal Winds, Tribal Voices, and Tribal Fires. The allusion to elemental forces should serve as a tip-off: Tribal Waters is not American Indian music per se, it's new age. A cursory listening confirms the diagnosis: instead of confining itself to drum, flute, and chant (with the possible tasteful addition of instruments like the acoustic guitar), Tribal Waters offers up synthesizers, electric guitars, the harp (!), and ubiquitous samples of babbling brooks and other aqueous sound effects.

And yet, although the purist may kvetch, Tribal Waters works in its own eclectic way. For example, the number with the harp is a Hidansa song called "Walking on the Water," performed by Keith Bear. The melody is primarily carried on the recorder and evokes a delicacy rarely heard outside 19th century French music for flute and harp. You just have to ignore the wind chimes.

Not all the tracks are as good as "Walking on the Water." Some are just atmosphere music featuring little Native American spoken homilies on water, nature, and the Great Spirit. Even these numbers are good mood music, however, and for compensation there is a beautiful program piece by Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai. If you're looking for gorgeous music to lose yourself in, this album can be warmly recommended. ~ Kurt Keefner

Native American Artists