Contact from the Underworld of Redboy
As on 1994'sMusic for the Native Americans,Contact from the Underworld of Redboyfinds formerBandleader Robbie Robertson incorporating Native American musical textures into ultramodern soundscapes. Once again, Robertson fares best when he turns the microphone over to his guests. Verdell Primeaux and Johnny Mike's "Peyote Healing" is almost otherworldly in its beauty, and political prisoner Leonard Peltier's guest rap on "Sacrifice" lends the record some legitimate political weight. In comparison, Robertson's mannered, overly processed vocals make songs like "In the Blood" sound likeDon Henleyattempting a Native American version ofPaul Simon's albumGraceland; one hopes that this wasn't exactly what he was trying for. --Dan Epstein