Maisie Shenandoah / Elizabeth Roberts - Sisters: Oneida Iroquois Hymns CD

 Native American and Christian Syncretism at its Best
Music of the spirit always comes with a story. The tragic history of the our nation's first people after the invasion of a powerful industrial culture doesn't lose any of its pathos here, yet in these hymns, so sensitively performed, there is spiritual power that would suggest there is ground on which reconciliation can take place. (This is not to negate the on-going need for political and legal reforms, but this after all is a music review.) Each hymn is sung in a Native American dialect - as the title suggests. Musically speaking, the melody, rhythm and harmony of these traditional Christian hymns are altered very little. Some are sung 'a capella', and, accompanied in a folk style, using mostly guitar or piano. The liner notes mention that the performers (twin sisters) heard these songs sung by their mother on evenings around the family hearth, while growing up. One has the sense that the same 'unvarnished' (I mean this in a sincerely positive way) tonal color and vocal inflections are present in the renderings in this recording. For me, these are an absolute delight to listen to. I believe that people of faith will especially enjoy hearing these songs. However, even as pure music, these recordings are of great value and should be enjoyed and appreciated by all.
Submitted by kapellmeister (Hanford, CA, USA) 
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