Seed on the Prairie

Songs such as "Swimming to the Other Side," "Live Like a Prayer," and "White Wings" are all part of an uplifting experience given to listeners by the group Magpie. Folk artists Greg Artzner and Tery Leonino express themselves with sincerity and charming passion, telling tales that have been cherished by generations of people out in the land of Native Americans, the prairie. "Swimming to the Other Side" entails a journey of Wakan Tanka, whose story lies in his crossing of a river by means of a very narrow tree. "If he is afraid to cross the river, he returns to the world and wanders about forever," notes Good Seat, of the Lakota tribe. Soaring and falling while struggling to fly is part of the suffering to be endured in the path to achievement, as the song "The Eagle and the Hawk" depicts. "Yellow Metal" is a deep and passionate song set in a cappella, expressing the story of settlers laboring in search for gold. The lyrics speak of the truth of several years of genocide of the Yanomami in the Amazon rainforest (a large massacre took place in 1993). "Live Like a Prayer" expresses the message to listeners that "we are the ones who must come together to walk the Sacred Way." "White Wings" is the most appealing song on this record. Pleasing to the ears, the guitars have a merry-go-round, chiming effect. The lyrics are laden with visions of rivers and memories of clear waters in the past, before the damaging effects of civilization. "Here's to the people that work on the river," and here's to those who keep this brand of music alive. ~ Shawn M. Haney, Rovi