DOUGLAS SPOTTED EAGLE
Voices
(c) (p) 1999 Higher Octave Music
13tks/55mins

How popular is at present the music of American Indians! The author of these lines was lucky enough to hear many albums of both traditional of native inhabitants of America and various modern interpretations. Still, the new album by Douglas Spotted Eagle can be undoubtedly distinguished in this number. This album sounds so rich and "tasty" that it makes you to forget everything which you have heard before. With that the sounding of this album is very contemporary. Drawling singing of Indian flute of Spotted Eagle is combined with Indian vocals, accompanying instruments, samples and electronic rhythmical basis. With it every instrument is softly inscribed into the general musical line. And of course in the center of all this action is hypnotically modulating flute of Douglas Spotted Eagle. And its singing makes a fascinating effect in combination with the sounds of not very expressive, but very melodious Indian language.

The new solo album of Douglas Spotted Eagle Voices, which came after the album Pray, which was a debut on the Higher Octave Music. By the way, Douglas is called veteran of the scene: there are 14 solo albums and participation in more than 40 musical projects. I would like to tell you specially about one of them. This is a CD-ROM Voices of Native America, including ethnic instrumental and vocal samples. They were used in the albums of such stars as Michael Bolton, Michael Jackson and Spike Lee. In the number of the projects in which took part Douglas Spotted Eagle, I would like to mention the famous album of Craig Chaquico Once In A Blue Universe, where amazing by its beauty flute solo can be heard in the composition Indian Spring.

In September the music from Voices was performed at the Indian Summer Festival in Milwaukee for a fifteen-thousand-people audience. Release of this project became a bright event in the world of the new age music, and undoubtedly it will be one of the most significant events of the passing year. This is a perfect work. You should hear this album. Voices is a Big Indian Heart.

Serge Kozlovsky