Blue Indians

John Trudell

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 7, 2000)
• Original Release Date: July 8, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ulftone
• ASIN: B00000JCRI
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,561 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Humor, hope, and magic mix with loneliness and oppression on John Trudell's Blue Indians. Trudell, a Santee Sioux poet, recites his straightforward social commentaries and romantic laments in an easygoing and, at times, sly manner. The melancholy world evoked by the poems is fleshed out by spare musical backup featuring traditional, wordless vocalizing, slide guitar, and low-key percussion. The unobtrusive blues-rock and soft-rock (Jackson Browne-produced) accompaniment keeps the focus on Trudell's words. Two narrative tracks, "Johnny and Joe" and "Dizzy Duck," stand out. "Johnny" is a desolate tale of booze, blood, and jealousy, while "Duck" details a dark scenario that jolts you with its surreal violence. But the album's highlight is "Angel of Sin," which hooks the listener with hornlike slide guitar and the repeated phrase "She told to me," hauntingly intoned by Trudell. --Fred Cisterna

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The TRUTH on disc......, April 6, 2001

By	bluindn (Whittier, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Indians (Audio CD)

I've been listening to John since 1990 (Graffitti Man) and it's my good fortune to live in a part of the rez where I can see him and Bad Dog perform live every 60 days or so. A small, intimate place that holds about 60 people max and you are 8 feet from the stage. Usually, an artist's best work is their first album. That's the one that the record company, the promoter, the marketing guys, and the agents had nothing to do with. Then it goes downhill after that. Since John is not just an artist but an artist who maintains his integrity, he successfully reverses this trend. Consequently, each new album surpasses the last. That's the case with Blue Indians. The entire album is fabulous. The standouts (if they can be distinguished from the entire work) are Blue Indians, All Nite Cafe, Devil and Me, Angel of Sin, Terminal Neon, and the intensely poignant and personal You Were (written in 1981, two years after the tragic loss of John's wife). The album is flawlessly produced by Jackson Browne. John has behind him one of the most talented, fluid, and tightest bands in the industry; Mark Shark and Billy Watts who elevate guitar playing to artistry, Rick Eckstein on percussion, and the fabulous Quiltman on backing traditional vocals. Poets and poetry have a two-fold mission, to speak the truth and to make you proud to be a human being. John Trudell and Blue Indians does both.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars worth waiting for...., December 28, 1999

By	East Coast fan (Turtle Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Indians (Audio CD)

I ended up getting this CD thru an auction because no one stocks it...but it's one of his best, worth the wait.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars man, am I glad . . ., September 12, 2002

By	randall hollis (St. Simons Island, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Indians (Audio CD)

A year or two ago (b4 I got a computer and discovered amazon.com) I was showing a friend a couple of CD's I would like to have at -are you ready?- [the store]. I listened to a short piece of this album and wasn't sure about the spoken lyrics. I tend to like instrumental works so the words don't get in the way of my writing (I always write to music). When she went back to purchase a present she couldn't remember which ones I wanted but remembered me picking up this blue cardboard covered one and it was Native American, so she bought it. Man, am I glad she blanked out! I don't listen to it while writing but I listen to it all the time when I can actually listen. This is true poetry that, to me, goes beyond any genre. The writing rings with power and truth, the music is well written and complements the lyrics incredibly. If you have any interest in contemporary Native American music, this is an artist you need to experience. In fact you probably should listen to it anyway. It has become one of my favorites in an extensive collection.