Randy Wood from the Plains Cree tribe has continually performed a great service to Native American music with his imaginative writing and soulful singing. There's a marvelously emotive quality to his voice, and he uses it superbly here over the solemn beat of the pow-wow drum with
Will Clipman subtly filling out the spaces on percussion. In many ways My Heart and Soul is an album that goes beyond genre; it's not so much Native American music as soul music in a different frame.
Wood is heavily influenced by tradition, but he's certainly not a slave to it, often moving outside the box in phrasing, melody and ideas. It's a remarkably adventurous disc, and
Clipman's signature is evident throughout, taking the music in different directions, adding touches of brilliance that enhance the material and performances. On first listen there might not seem to be much to the lyrics, but they're pared down to the bone, making them all the more affecting, and often hypnotic. You wouldn't think voice and percussion could sound like this, but
Wood and
Clipman have created a whole that's far bigger than the sum of its parts. ~ Chris Nickson