Voices

Native American music has its share of purists who play traditional acoustic Lakota, Sioux, Navajo, or Cherokee music the way their families have played it for generations. But there are also plenty of artists who have a more contemporary take on Native American music; one of them is flute player/guitarist Douglas Spotted Eagle, whose Voices combines Native American music with ambient, new age, and pop-jazz/NAC elements. While Eagle's haunting solos demonstrate that he knows a lot about traditional Native American flute playing, no one would mistake Voices for the work of a purist. Most of the selections are instrumental, although Voices detours into pop/rock-adult contemporary territory when vocalist Samantha Ward is featured on "We Are Still Here." On the whole, the material isn't remarkable — interesting and enjoyable, but not remarkable. However, Eagle takes some chances here and there, and he deserves credit for doing his part to carry Native American music forward.