Native American vocalist/multi-instrumentalist to perform tonight on OU campus



By Adam Scott

entertainment editor



I was a little hesitant to review this album; my past exposure to Native American artists often brought me in contact with music that seemed so lost in the distant past or so lost pushing in the direction of possible limits of the future it was tough to interpret, let alone relate to.

Robert Mirabal's "In The Blood," his ninth album and his first in four years, is anything but lost, capturing sounds and themes relatable to many people from many cultures in the present day. It showcases the Native American flutist/percussionist./vocalist's great depth of talent at creating vibrant soundscapes with a variety of instruments and effects.

The brief intro "Big Chief" sets an uncertain yet energetic mood with sounds of chains, a door opening, distorted chattering voices and an electric hum.

This in turn leads to the funny yet touching "Medicine Man" a tale of a man who can "razzle-dazzle ghosts" yet has trouble getting the love of a woman to do his bidding likewise.

Chronicle of violence and hard living "Indian Johnny" follows, arguably the most staightforward rocker of the bunch. The occasional punctuation by gunshots on the track is jarring but drives home the message of the cost of not staring down prejudice like few other sounds can.

With a strong traveling blues kind of feel to it, "Brave New World" it tells of a girl's odyssey in pursuit of a better life, love and world as she wanders the railways.

"Holding Up The Sky" conjures up iconic visions of journeying the roads very fast with a purpose, somewhat in the same vein as a little tune made famous by Norman Greenbaum and closes with Mirabal's recitation of a quote by Sitting Bull that blends confusion with hope and adds a new depth of poignancy to the song.

"Little Indians" was probably my least favorite track but this is probably due to its slower, more relaxed pace compared to most of the other songs. Still, it's smooth as honey, has an important message of using introspection to discover what's important in life and it would make my job a lot easier if every song I reviewed was this good a listen.

The seventh track, title song "In the Blood," makes me think of the first time I stopped and looked up at a clear winter night sky near nothing much at all but the highway in eastern New Mexico. In short, description does it little justice and it's not to be missed as firsthand experience. Make it to tonight's concert if you can, for it will be most memorable.

The next two songs, both sung mostly in Mirabal's native tongue of Tiwa, include the breathtaking "Tsel-m?-ah (Butterfly Song)"which gives the sense it is about love, healing and faith even before Mirabal makes a mention of this in English and "Ee-You-Oo" which has no similar guidepost but has such driving flamenco guitar and percussion you likely will find yourself dancing anyway.

A reflection on the past, "Theo's Dream" looks at a bittersweet slice of Mirabal's youth on a reservation, focusing mainly on the fears, prejudices and other difficulties faced by his uncle, a wounded soldier, and in turn how Mirabal inherited many of these calling to mind some of the most angry and engaging work by the Beat poets, closing with a succinctly powerful "Please don't forget."

"Things Are Different Now" makes me think a bit of the sound of many of the songs by Crowded House and mixes the forlorn and the forward-looking even as it melds English and Tiwa.

I thought the album was winding down to a quiet close but "Pottery Shard Man" speeds things up a bit with a dark and uncertain sound and lyrics that has a late-'80s first-Bush-adiministration-era rock feel.

Closing song "The Dance" is a sonic trip through centuries of suffering and change, fear and marvels, reminding the listener no matter what else comes and goes, its title topic endures.

An intriguing blend of the very traditional sound of Native American flute and drums with modern electric guitars, synthesizer and more can be found throughout this, for lack of a better word, gorgeous-sounding album.

Robert Mirabal performs tonight in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall at Catlett Music Center at the corner of Elm Avenue and Boyd St. To any Native American music or light rock appreciator who can't make the show, don't think twice about picking up "In the Blood;" the mix of lavish arrangements surrounding Mirabal's generally relatable messages and the album's heart, his slightly rough but warm voice that sounds somehow like it comes from a friend.



Robert Mirabal

In the Blood

Star Road Records