Johnny Damas and Me

John Trudell

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 1, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B0000009OV
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #168,890 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Label

John Trudell has spent a lifetime saying what he means, meaning what he says, and staring down the barrel of the consequences. His second album continues the rant and roll started with his acclaimed debut album, AKA GRAFFITI MAN. This is a brave and eloquent album combining passionate vocals with a gutsy blues-rock base and traditional Native North American music.

Many of the songs on the album concern women and the problems they face in today's society. "Half of everything is the female spirit and energy. I wanted to reflect some of that," Trudell explains. With a title ironically drawn from the police call for a domestic disturbance, "See The Woman" pays tribute to women's strength of spirit: "In all conditions she is life bringer/In all life she is our necessity." Fierce power chords underscore the onimous "Shadow Over Sisterland," a study of the potential abuses of power, wealth and position. Inspired by the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas confrontation and the trial of William Kennedy Smith, the song cuts to the chase: "The laws of justice are business decisions/Gender and class cut with surgical precision." In the contrasting sway of "Baby Doll Blues," Cinderella dreams and Barbie playtime turn sour with harsh adulthood: "The golden chalice turns into a Teflon cup."

While many of the songs of JOHNNY DAMAS AND ME focus on women's themes, the album touches on other subjects as well. Native American cries meet a looping blues groove in "All There Is To It," a stream-of-consciousness catalog of the body politic's evils and a refusal to surrender. Most deeply affecting may be Trudell's own self-examination in "After All These Years" which poignantly chronicles the sorrow he will always carry from the loss of his family (who were killed in a suspicious house fire shortly after Trudell took part in a flag-burning protest). Those familiar with Rykodisc's BORN TO CHOOSE pro-choice benefit compilation album will recognize the glistening 12-string guitars that carry the spiritual call-to-arms of "Rant n Roll," which is also included on this album.

The call-and-response between poet and singer is a common thread that has weaved throughout Trudell's work since his musical collaborations with the late Jesse Ed Davis in the '80s. On the new album synthesizers and other modern instrumentation have been stirred into the mix. "This has always been my direction since I first started," he says. "Tribal music, drums, harmonies, blending with electric elements." Yet technology is never emphasized at the expense of raw emotion.

"Rant and roll -- heartspeak from the spirit. Say it loud, so everyone can hear it," dares Trudell in the song "Rant n Roll." Trudell rises to the challenge with eloquence and grace on JOHNNY DAMAS AND ME.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Trudell Tells It Like It Is, May 19, 1999

By A Customer

I being very young and listening to John Trudell address the Senate when he was AIM-Chairman . Make no mistake, Trudell's message is as powerful now as it was then - and his presentation of reality cuts to the heart of First Nations social issues. This man is truly my hero and shows his incredible versitility and his eloquence as he shows the plight of American Indians on this Album. Produced by Jackson Browne, backing vocals by Browne, Kris Kristoferson and Leslie Ann Warren make this album a *definite* must-own.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply moving, November 17, 1999

By	Beverly A. Atha ([e-mail]) (USA) - See all my reviews

I first heard "See The Woman" on AIROS (American Indian Radio on Satellite) and was moved to contact them to find out who was the artist. I found the entire album as touching as the first piece I'd heard.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! from a woman, January 20, 2001

By	C. Kennon "catcake" (St Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I searched for a cd by Trudell after seeing a tape of the '98 NAMY Awards. See The Woman left me speechless and after Raptor I knew I was in love. This cd caused more emotion than I've felt in a long time. He is a great Poet!