Customer Reviews

Running for the Drum [CD/DVD]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Buffy Sainte-Marie is not trying to please the white-bread eating, top 40-listening audience. People who don'''t understand the reason for such songs as Cho-cho Fire and why they sound the way they do need to go out to Indian Country, attend a powwow, have some fried bread and listen to the chanting, drumming, dancing and oratory. After 500 years of church and state supported genocide, you will well up with tears to see the joy and happiness and pride at these amazing events. That's what Buffy Sainte-Marie is all about. Granted, the new album doesn''t have the smooth cohesiveness of Coincidence and Likely Stories, but it is chock full of all the many ways Buffy Sainte-Marie has dazzled the entire world as a singer-song writer. What memories she must have of her glorious life beginning so innocently in coffee houses around the University of Massachusetts campus in the '60's to the reservations all over North America and audiences on every inhabited continent on the globe. Running for the Drum is a spiritual statement unto itself, which she successfully delivers to Natives and non-Natives alike who can open their hearts and minds to Native Rock. The drum is the center of the tribal universe...the heartbeat of most ceremonies. Listen to the drumbeat...that''s her heartbeat...put away your Doris Day albums and lemonaid and have a little fun now.

"Running For The Drum" is a VERY eclectic smorgasbord of new Buffy music; from funky rockin' rock, chanteuse/blues, rockabilly, beautiful love songs, and ending with the sweetest song she's ever recorded; "Still This Love Goes On". All the songs are facets of a multi-faceted artist that defies pigeon-holed musical labels. A "must-have" for any fan, and a great introduction to her music and talent for those unfamiliar.

CD - Buffy's first CD in a long time has many genres. I loved all of them. She sings Native songs, protest songs, and Ballads. More than that Buffy rocks out.
DVD - I am very strict about not spoiling but since the DVD is a documentary I will spill some. Buffy hit The Village in NY during the transition from beatnic to hippy. One of the first people she met was Bob Dylan who helped her find a place to sing. After Buffy found professional management she helped Joni Mitchell find a manager also. Robbie Robertson, Joni Mitchell, and Taj Mahal and many more are on the DVD. This is one of the best documentaries for all time. Buffy was adopted and was one of two Aboriginals in her small town. Her work for Natives, the poor, civil rights, and against the war enlighted many. Buffy added the use of technology to her art. She was the first person to send a music file on the internet.

Buffy Sainte Marie has been my favorite artist for over forty years.

"Running For The Drum," her first release of new songs in over 15 years revalidates my respect, love and awe of her peerless artistry.

Besides giving us 12 new tunes to cherish the accompanying DVD documentary enlightens the viewer with insights into her life and attitudes.

I've witnessed hundreds of artists perform live, No one thrilled me more than Ms. Sainte Marie. She communicated amazing magic each of the three times I've attended her concerts.

The physical packaging of her new CD/DVD is gorgeous thanks to her mastery of digital art.

I'm happier with my world knowing Buffy Sainte Marie is an active participant in it now that the buffalo's gone.

As a Buffy Saint Marie fan from the 60s, I am greatly impressed with this well rounded selection of new work. "No, No Keshagesh" may well be the Universal Soldier of this time. We are still playing the CD over and over. Little Wheel, sung anew over 40 years after I first heard it, made my foster son sit down and listen intently . . . and Buffy still makes sense to me.

Someone else listed the tracks and Buffy's comments on them. I was blown away by the music on this CD. She started out with rock music on Tracks 1-3, then went to one of my favorite folk songs of hers "Little Wheel, Spin and spin," then it was folk love songs on 5 and 6, the blues on 7, jazz on 8, a touch of country music on track 9, soft rock on 10, Americana redone on 11, and finishes up with modern folk on track 12.

The accompanying DVD was excellent. It showed much of her background, including what looked to be her senior picture from college, Greenwich Village, the rez in Canada, and her farm in Hawaii. An aside, her talking to her goats was hilarious. The modern concert footage shows her still at her best, even in her 60's.

The CD is wonderful. Music fresh and new.The first three songs on the CD are my favorites."Working For The Government" being number one. The DVD is what I liked the most, really us tells much about an incredible woman. Keep making music-art Buffy!!

As a lifelong Buffy Sainte-Marie fan, I really wanted this latest CD to be great. It is, unfortunately, merely good. The first song I heard from it was the second track, "Cho Cho Fire," on a compilation of various artists called Think Global: Native America. While excited by the prospect that this apparently recent song might mean a new album from Buffy on the horizon, I didn't much like it. It's harsh-sounding and shrill, and her voice sounds like it was sped up or something, unnaturally high-pitched. Thankfully, when I finally received RUNNING FOR THE DRUM in the mail, I got two surprises.

First of all, the rest of the CD is much better than "Cho Cho Fire." Overall, it's not quite as perfect and beautiful as 1992's Coincidence & Likely Stories, nor is it as enjoyable as the follow-up to that album, Up Where We Belong, a mix of newly recorded versions of Buffy's older songs and some new ones. This recording took some multiple hearings for some of the songs to take hold. I still don't really LOVE four of them (the first three strident rockers, and the repetitive "I Bet My Heart On You"). This means it's the first album of Buffy's since Quiet Places that has that many songs I don't care for. On the plus side, there is a good variety of music here, and some of the compositions are exceptional. If you are a fan of Buffy's, take a risk and get this one: you're sure to find something to love. My favorites after a few listens, are "Too Much Is Never Enough," a plaintive love ballad, "Blue Sunday," a vintage-sounding rock 'n' roll tune, and the closer, "Still This Love Goes On," a gorgeous song that surely ranks with her best work.

The second surprise was the included DVD. It's not mentioned in the listing on Amazon; the item I ordered is noted as the "Standard Edition." I wondered why this CD was so expensive, and now I know the reason. This is a nice, generous documentary about Buffy and her life in music, art and education. Well worth the time spent watching it, as it includes video clips of Buffy performing, spanning nearly five decades, wonderful still photographs, and interview footage featuring the likes of Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, Eric Andersen, and many other fellow musicians, plus some friends, lovers and relatives. I plan to tell other Buffy fans I know about it. It's the main reason I'm giving this release four stars instead of three.

To those who've never had the pleasure to be exposed to Buffy Sainte-Marie this is the perfect choice to get acquainted with this powerful artist and her long and ongoing career. The music combines old and new selections and the dvd gives you an overview of her amazing life and career. A true artist who chose to do things
her way despite the consequences. Well worth it!

The first three songs on this cd are rockin and have native backround singers, drumming and chants for a pow wow feel. The lyrics are great political statements from the native american point of view. There are also very well executed electronic backround sound effects on these first three songs. I think these first three songs are masterpieces. Next we get an updated version of Little Wheel Spin and spin which is very engaging. The rest of the songs on the album are straight forward ballads with the exception of track 9 which is a great country song and track 11 which is a wonderful version of America the Beautiful. Of the love ballads I especially like track 7 'When I had You'. it reminds me of a fifties pop song sung by a Patsy Cline or Peggy Lee. Her voice is in fine form. This album delivers diversity and very good use of her unusual and blessed singing instrument. The final track is a catchy and uplifting pop/love song. Overall I am very happpy and impressed with this new music from Buffy and highly recommend it.