Line-up impressive on compilation CD

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Silver Wave Records' recently released album Many Blessings features 15 songs that showcase the diversity of today's contemporary Native American music, with styles and influences originating from all four corners of the Americas.

The songs on the CD run the gamut from New Age to jazz to rock melded with Native American rhythms, themes and soul.

The album is a true marriage between traditional and contemporary, with flutes and hand drums heard alongside oboes and synthesizers. It's also a showcase of some of the top performers of the day, including Robert Mirabal, Joanne Shenandoah and Mary Youngblood. The CD features three songs by each of these artists.

Youngblood, who won the Grammy for Best Native American Music Album in 2003 for her CD Beneath the Raven Moon, demonstrates her mastery of the flute on one cut and provides vocals on two others.

Mirabal sings Indians Indians from his newest CD, and one from his acclaimed live CD Music From a Painted Cave.

Shenandoah's tracks include 100 Winters from her newest release Covenant, The Great Law of Peace from the CD Peacemaker's Journey, and I Am Your Friend from the CD Orenda.

Also featured on Many Blessings are Tito La Rosa, who provides an Incan flavor to the recording with two cuts from his CD The Prophesy of the Eagle and the Condor, as well as the team of Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai, who successfully combine the sounds of piano and Native flute.

Rounding out Many Blessings is a song by Lawrence Laughing from his CD Our Minds Are One, and one from the new Alice Gomez CD Obsidian Butterfly.