Customer Reviews

Beneath the Raven Moon

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Half Seminole, half Aleut Mary Youngblood is truly a marvel on the Native American flute! I honestly admit it was the cover of this album that first caught my attention at the store. Intrigued by the title and cover, I decided to sample the music out of curiosity. After just the first track, I was hooked. I left the music store, CD in hand and have loved every moment of playing it since. The subtle and hauntingly beautiful tones of Mary Youngblood's flute paint a landscape of sacred Native American sound and spirit. The addition of sparing vocals by Mary and a range of other instruments; guitars, zither, bass, cello, banjo and piano among them aide in providing the depth and richness to Mary's skillful flute playing.

What is this music like? Like plush carpets in a misty forest. Like hot chocolate on a mountaintop. At once familiar and soothing and yet ethereal and evocative of the elements. There are no ambient heavy rhythms or synthesizer additions here. The acoustic sounds enable the listener to truly believe Mary Youngblood can make the trees sing with her skillful playing. The rhythms that exist on this album are soft and relaxing. This is a CD to relax to and take inspiration from. From the first track; Cama-I, which is an Aleut greeting listeners will know this is something special. Mary's flute naturally embodies the sound of the wilderness-birdcalls and mournful howls, birds in flight and ancient spirits whispering around the old fires. My favorites include #2 Walk With Me: Mary's soothing alto vocals adding an evocative layer of haunting, earthy sound, #4 And We Shall Dance: A surprisingly mellow and jazzy track with drums, guitar, and zither, blending naturally with Mary's upbeat playing, #8 And We Can Love: this lovely melody has brought me to tears a time or two. The classical strings in the background are a nice touch. #3 Beneath the Raven Moon: The combination of guitar and honey-like flute playing make this ideal music for soothing a child to sleep.

Traditionally, the sacred music of the Native American flute has been the province of only men, but Mary Youngblood is one of the first professional female players to break with that tradition, and she has met with great success in her career. Mary has two previous albums: The Offering (1998) and Heart of the World (1999) and was named flutist of the year in 1998 and 99 at the Native American music awards. What I found fascinating is that the liner notes not only list each track with the instruments used, but also which flutes Mary Youngblood chose to play for each song. For instance, the opening track flute was made by Spirit Bird Flutes and is an Alaskan Yellow Cedar F#. (Particularly appropriate to an Aleut greeting.) Seeing the different woods and craftsman soon had me listening to the flute playing more closely to see if I could detect how the sounds differed from flute to flute.

If you're looking for ambient dance music or Native American chant, you won't find it on this CD. There are no dance beats or electronic riffs here. But I would encourage you to sample the music anyway. The acoustic quality and rich inspiration Mary Youngblood provides are truly remarkable. May you enjoy the work as much as I have.

Happy Listening! ^_^ shanshad

This is another beautiful recording from Mary. I find her music appeals to various cultures, mixing tones of jazz, various world and classical music into her mixed heritage. The simplicity and purety of her recordings drives you into her music and lets you live it as if you were playing it yourself. A strong inspiration if you are a native american flute player yourself, an exploration for our inner self for all of us ... My words cannot give it justice. Thank you Mary.

Youngblood's music has the minimal flute that echoes the timeless Native Indian sound, yet with a unique spirit & soothing flavor. This is beautiful, soulful music.

I enjoy this CD as I'm working in various art media. It calms my inner noise and helps me to connect to the art.

This is one highly talented musician! I like Mary Youngblood's playing so much, especially her solo playing, that I have ordered another one of her CDs. She has worked with Carlos Nakai in the past and her works show it but she has a very unique way of playing the flute that belongs to no one but her alone. Mary Youngblood is truly a highly skilled and professionally trained musician and her music is perfect to listen to after a long day. I am very grateful for having found her!

Beneath the Raven Moon is yet another giant step taken by Mary Youngblood toward her destiny... that of a legendary Native flute player. This CD shows how her many talents have evolved, and it's time for us all to hold our breaths in anticipation of her next release. The big question is, how do you top this one!
This is a must buy for anyone who enjoys having their very soul touched by a song. This is a true winner, congrats Mary.

I have never purchased a Mary Youngblood CD that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. This one is another example of her great flute artistry.

Beautiful, soulful flute. "Beneath the Raven Moon" by Mary Youngblood is a CD that I highly recommend.

Miss Youngblood's music will touch a part of you deep inside. There are somethings that words cannot describe....just try it...you'll like it.

Lovely music, great CD. Mary Youngblood has a wonderful gift and this is one of her best.