Customer Reviews

Sacred Spirit, Vol. 2: More Chants and Dances of the Native Americans

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...YOU ARE NEVER IN A HURRY. THAT IS TRUE FREEDOM."

"Sacred Spirit II again successfully combines ancient Native American cermonial chants with modern instrumental arrangements through a cycle of CELEBRATION, WISDOM, REVERENCE, AND REBIRTH. The music focus on authentic vocal chants sung by Native American perfomers. SSII deliberately downplays specific song academia but rather allows the chants and arrangements to Affect the listener on a much more PERSONAL LEVEL--SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNEXPLAINED." [a sample from the cds pamplet]

I love unique cds like this! Great Music takes me on a Journey; however, this cd does even more. THIS Journey is Inside myself--I am Connected to these Chants. They are Powerful and the music syncronizes so perfectly that the sum total comes Alive in a way I can not fully grasp, let alone, explain! Rarely do I come across something so beautiful that I feel I can not adequately review it. This is one of those times, but I am going for it anyway. Why? If just one other person in the whole world buys this and is touched the way I am, I will be happy.

Reviews are many things to many people. For me, they are a discovery of something beautiful and intangible--something inside myself. I am growing and I trust you are too. Good luck on Your Journey. Don't stand still--Soar!

SOARING HEART

I consider myself pretty well rounded in terms of musical tastes, and have hundreds of CD's from all genres. That being said, I can't explain what it is about the Sacred Spirit CD's that is so fascinating to listen to, such that I can listen to the tracks a million time over and never get bored!

As the other reviewers here have stated, this music in this CD is so amazing, that you can it can affect you when you listen to it. The fusion of the modern instruments with Native American chants can only be described as "perfect." There is a perfect balance of the new and old.

Even Enigma's fusion of Gregorian Chants and synthesizers isn't as well done as this album (or it's predecessor). Enigma's music more heavily leans towards "rock" compared to Sacred Spirits'.

I liked the first Sacred Spirits CD better, but this one isn't far behind. As with the first CD, this music is great to listen to in the background as you go about your other business.

I can't recommend this CD enough to people interested in ambient/mood type music.

I enjoyed the first CD so much that I was also inspired to buy this one. Because there are no English translations, you form your own personal bond with each track. My favorite tracks are "Yane-Heja-Hee" and "That Noble Dream." Though traditionalists may be disappointed, my heart knows what it likes. The use of the synth music helps make it more palatable to those just getting to know Native American Chants and Dances. This is one of my favorite CD's and I HIGHLY recommend its purchase.

OK, get your Sacred Spirits Straight

As far as I can tell there are now "three" Sacred Spirit CDs. There is the original Native American/ambient CD which first came out in Virgin. That was followed by Sacred Spirit 2 (NOT this CD--AND I have seen "2" US with ANOTHER title), also on Virgin. Now there is a "new" Sacred Spirit II (not to be confused with 2), whcih is also Native American music, but on the Higher Octave label. OK. Here's the skinny: Sacred Spirit 1 is excellent. It is great to listen to from one end to another and has a wonderful spiritual feel. Sacred Spirit 2 (not II) is a mix of African-American spirituals with overdubs of beats and vocals (such as a speech by the Reverend Martin Luther King, jr), with accompaniment by a cello (can that explain the cover picture?). Overall it is also a quiet, introspective musical delight for the mind. Sacred Spirit II is not as good as the other two. It is also Native American, but cannot compare to the original ("1") at all.

So there you have it. I highly recommend Sacred Spirit 1, it is a classic. I also like Sacred Spirit 2, although it is completely different. Sacred Spirit II is pretty uninspired....

Much of todays genre of New Age is sprinkled with tidbits of this and that, but Higher Octave gives us the meaning of what Native American music stems from...peace, caring and loving reflections is the only thoughts that come to mind when listening to this title.

Selections that stand out are ~ "DELA DELA"..."YANE-HEJA-HEE"..."THAT NOBLE DREAM", all contain something that will leave an impression of what this country was all about before the settlers came and changed their lives.

Total Time: 51:16 on 12 Tracks ~ Higher Octave 50383 ~ (2000)

Have played almost nonstop since I purchased it. Later bought the original Sacred Spirit and was disappointed...like Vol. 2 much better. Haunting, rhythmic, nice mix of vocals, electronics and strings. Play it in the morning when I smudge and after sweat lodges. Is it "real" native music? Doesn't matter.

I've been in radio for 15 yrs and this is absolutely the best music I have ever heard! This CD is up beat and has the Native American sounds you want. It honestly makes you bob your head to the beat and makes you close your eyes and imagine at the same time. I would recommend this CD to anyone who likes a nice beat and wants to feel good while listening to it....while never forgetting you're listening to Native American music. I have the first Sacred Spirit CD and while it's a nice, calm CD, it does not hold a candle to the Sacred Spirit II! I also have We The People. It is a nice listening CD also but nothing has come close to Sacred Spirit II.

This CD has a different feel to Sacred Spirit I. Some of the raw emotion of the original has given way to mellow renditions of traditional chants. The two CDs actually complement each other. So contrary to a previous suggestion to only get one I would suggest getting both but for different moods. The haunting emotionally charged chants of Sacred Spirit I are like an ancestral war cry demanding to be heard above the din of contemporary American culture. Sacred Spirit II is evocative of the natural world in which the Native Americans, lived. The forests, streams, animal life and sense of community they once knew and this music is their interpretation of their place within it. Hence the different tone. This is a wonderful album and deserves more air play than its been getting.

I expected more of this volume since the first one is real extraordinary, and seems to be hard to beat. However is good enough to have it. Good production and most of the tracks are in the same mood of the first volume.

I cannot find adequate words to describe the beauty of this music!! I decided to buy Sacred Spirits II after hearing a beautiful chant/song by them on a Pure Moods (vol. 1) CD. Native American music is new to me and I was amazed at how beautiful these songs/tracks are. I love the nature sounds, vocal and synthesizing of all tracks. I do not understand the song/story behind these chants and vocalizations, but my imagination/interpretation leads me to come up with an adjective to describe the feeling of each song. The music is mystical, emotional, passionate -- leaving me with an uplifting, calmful, spiritual feeling. I can't get enough of this one!! I listen to it over and over again, a couple of times a week. This is a must for any music lover!! Every track is beautiful, but I especially love: Looking Far North, Land of Promise, Yane-Heja-Hee and May You Walk in Sunshine.