Customer Reviews

Mahk Jchi

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I became interested in Ulali when I heard their songs, "Forgive Our Fathers Suite (aka Wahjeeleh-Yihm)" and "All My Relations" from the movie "Smoke Signals" and another song "Grammah Easter's Lullaby" from an CD entitled "Tribal Voices: Music from Native Americans".

These three women had the most powerful voices I had ever heard. I went on a quest to learn more about them and discovered they had a CD called "Mahk Jchi".

After much searching, I finally obtained it and I was beyond amazed.

Their first track, Mother, uses vocabs to showcase the trios a cappella talents which is paired with a steady beating drum.

The second track, Rattle Songs, is actually a burst of seven short songs (all under 2 minutes). In this medley you will find "Grammah Easter's Lullaby".

Moving on to the third track, Necklace of Broken Hearts, starts off with rhythmic vocabs and rattles and leads into a very beautiful song.

Friend in Need and Museum Cases are the next two tracks on this CD. These songs touched me in a place so deep down I didn't know it existed.

The title song, Mahk Jchi (Heartbeat Drum Song), is another stunning example of how these three women's voices blend perfectly together. This song is actually in a North American Indian language (as opposed to vocabs), Although I'm not sure which one.

Maybe is a beautiful ballad. Once again it is a cappella but you might not realize it since you will be carried away by the voices.

The eighth track, Power of the Harden-Bratt is the next track. This sounds like your 'stereotypical' American Indian War Dance song. Although once again, they add something so much more to it.

My favorite track on this CD is, Going Home. This song hit so many nerves within me; to talk about it is difficult. You will have to listen to it for yourselves. It is reminiscence of an old African Spiritual. I will quote a line from the song so you'll get the idea: "Stolen people on stolen land."

Of course the last track is an equally powerful song. All My Relations also appears on the "Smoke Signals" soundtrack. This is more of prose put to music. This is another track that just brought a lump to my throat.

This album that was released in 1994 by Corn, Bean & Squash Music can be very hard to find. But you can order it from Ulali.com, if all else fails.

There is something for everyone on this album. I never get tired of hearing it and these talented women, Pura Fé, Soni and Jennifer will carry you away to a place you have never been.

I want to also recommend picking up the "Smoke Signals" soundtrack for their song, "Forgive Our Fathers Suite (aka Wahjeeleh-Yihm)". I am not sure if they will release this song on a future album, but it is so awesome, I urge you not to wait.

I fell in love with Ulali (pronounced you-lah-LEE) watching Smoke Signals and listening to Indigo Girls' "Burn All the Letters" -- these three women are amazing. I have given this CD to so many friends and shared it with my students and fellow teachers. I had the great good fortune to see them live this past summer at the American Indian Cultural House in Manhattan ... and it was a stunning, moving, completely beautiful experience. I'm sure my neighbors are learning this music, too, since I cannot help but play these songs LOUD! I love every track on this CD, but I definitely have favorites. "Museum Cases" is powerful and painful; "Mahk Jchi" resonates in my chest and head, filling me with the amazing voices of these women; and the feeling I get, as an African American, listening to "Going Home" is hard to describe. It's a beautiful piece that connects traditional First Nations music with spirituals and the blues and has lyrics that strike deep ("Nigerian chains they say are buried real deep ... tobacco fields ... trail of tears ... stolen people on stolen land").

This is an extraordinary CD. Enough said.

If you ever are lucky enough to see these beautiful women in concert, don't miss it! If not snag this tape. I listen to it more than any (of the hundreds) I own. By the way, the rattle songs are done with tin cans full of dried beans (or at least that's what it seemed like in person). Look this group up on the net too. They are fasinating women individually as well. You can't go wrong with these strong and talented sisters of the Earth.

Ulali is my favorite vocal group. These three women combine songs from their Native American heritage with singing styles that span the range from blues to "doo-wop". Their harmonies are amazing, their lyrics are profound, and their sense of rhythm is infectious (I even started carrying a rattle in my car so that I could "play along"). I've seen them live three times, and they're as good (if not better) in person as they are on this CD. No fancy production techniques to disguise mediocre voices are necessary here; Ulali embodies the essence of a cappella perfection. Whether they're singing a sweet lullaby, a bluesy lament, a funky jam, or a strident challenge, their voices combine to convey a depth of emotion that is sadly lacking in most of today's music. Plus, they're just plain nice women - they kindly autographed my CD, and Jennifer, the youngest member of the group, even remembered me by name after the third concert I attended. This is the kind of music that deserves support and encouragement - not the canned, overtly-commercial crud that the music industry is constantly shoving down our throats. Buy this CD and cherish it - I do!

If you love Native American music, you will love "Mahk Jchi." If you think all Native American music is New Age flutes, listen to "Mahk Jchi" and think again. Ulali are at the forefront of contemporary NA music, combining traditional sensibilities with a modern feel. The three women sing a capella, their harmonies blending and soaring. All the songs, including the endlessly catchy title track, are terrific, but "Necklace of Broken Hearts" is particularly outstanding. "Mahk Jchi" is, quite simply, must-have music.

Awesome, inspiring, powerful and most importantly - keeps it real! The tracks on this CD, sung by trio of Native American women with incredible voices, moves me / shakes me / takes me deep within, turns me out and then lifts me up.

I have an extensive collection of NA music and this is one of my favorite. It is in keeping with traditional sounds, but it's message is universal in terms of how we relate to one another, how we perceive each other and how we are connected.

In addition, Ulali gets a great deal of respect from other Native artists. Their music can be heard on the "Tribal Voices" compilation CD, the very popular Robbie Robertson's "Songs for Native Americans" CD, and also in the sound track for the Native American movie "Smoke Signals". If you're ready to transcend, buy this CD, you won't be disappointed. Whenever I play this CD, I am always asked who it's made by and where it can be purchased. Kudos to Amazon.com for making this hard to find CD available for the masses.

Ulali's vocalists Pura Fe, Soni and Jennifer first started singing together fifteen years ago. Together they represent several First Nations tribes: Tuscarora, Mayan, Apache, and Yaqui. They perform acapella with drums, rattles, and stomps.
Ulali appeared on the Indigo Girls CD "Shaming the Sun" and on the "Smoke Signals" soundtrack with "Forgive Our Fathers Suite" and "All My Relations."

Ulali addresses current Native issues and accomplishments, touring through Indian country in North and South America, singing and exchanging songs and maintaining strong cultural ties.

The songs on "Mahk Jchi" range from Southeast choral singing, gospel, rock and powwow-type chants and dances. The way their voices blend is magical, especially on the rattle songs such as "Grammah Easter's Lullaby" and on "Going Home." There is something so spiritual and ancient in these songs, the song of the earth, of the Native struggle, of past wrongs and future rights. "Going Home" compares the Native struggle to that of African slaves: ("I hear Nigerian chains they say are buried real deep/ tobacco fields, Trail of Tears, stolen people on stolen land.")

I bought this at a powwow last year and I hope to have the chance to see Ulali perform sometime this year. I have heard that they are even more amazing live, which is hard to believe once you've listened to this CD. This should belong in everyone's collection, whether you are First Nations or not. This is a song journey about love, the land, our past and where we are going.

Mahk Jchi is truly the best Native American CD on the market. The women in this group combine their voices in the songs to create an almost angelic harmony that stirs the heart. Ulali is one of the top groups and Mahk Jchi affirms their right to be in the upper echelon of Native American singers. If you don't like Native American Music, try Ulali and you will be shocked.

WOW!!!!!!!!! and more WOWS!!!!!!! This group Ulali is the best I ever heard and also seen in concert. You can't believe human beings can evoke so much from singing. I saw them once and found out they had a second show a little after the first and went to that also. Right of the bat, with "Mother," you're hooked. No doubt about that. What makes them so special is how real they are and their music. No textured New Age keyboards to get in the way, just vocals and accompanying rattles and Native drums. This is an education too and I highly recommend teachers and parents to have their children listen to this. This music needs to live forever and the great tradition of the Indigenous spirit. They are working on a new album that will be much anticipated and that no doubt will be a gem too. But if you want just one album to capture the Indigenous spirit and so much more, buy Mahk Jchi now.

Whether or not you're acquainted with Native American music and traditions, if you love music, and if you appreciate the power of the human voice, you should have this album in your collection.

As the liner notes will tell you, "Ulali" means "songbird," and the name could not be more appropriate for this trio of singers. The vocals are wonderfully clear and liquid, with crisp enunciation and tight, flawless harmonies. Of all the tracks on the CD (and there really isn't a bad one), I particularly enjoy the rattle songs (rolled together into Track 2) and "Going Home." If you enjoy singing (especially in the safe privacy of your car, as I do), you'll love the rattle songs. There's something about the vocabs, and about not worrying about English lyrics, that seems to open up both voice and breathing in much the same way as playing a flute - it's downright euphoric. I've driven through many a scenic mile in North and South Dakota with these songs blasting, and me singing my head off, and I've known few finer moments.

This is one of the few modern Native American albums on which I enjoy the English songs as much as the native-language songs. I usually enjoy the latter better, but "Going Home," "Maybe," and "Necklace of Broken Hearts" have such poignant lyrics, delivered with such power and feeling (especially on "Going Home") that they are just as transcendent. Ulali definitely has a chip on their shoulder (evident in "Museum Shelves" and in "All My Relations") but not so much that white listeners like yours truly feel unwelcome. I would love to know the meaning of the lyrics of "Mahk Jchi" - it's such an incredibly powerful and moving song, with harmonies that cascade like waterfalls.

My only complaint is that there aren't any more Ulali albums out yet! The world needs more music like this, so come on, gals, get busy!