Search - Robert Gass, Wings of Song :: Medicine Wheel

Moving and relaxing

Andrea Supalla | 06/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My favorite track on this CD is "Song of Chief Seattle", in which Robert Gass put Chief Seattle's famous speech to music, performed beautifully by On Wings of Song. I applaud his efforts of trying to stay true to what Chief Seattle really said. I remember the first time music made me cry... I was in elementary school and the teacher had us sing a song we'd never heard before. The words I can remember were "Up on a mountain high, wounded eagle wants to die. He was free... when they let him be. In a land without a friend, will there be an empty sky, where the eagle used to fly, in the wind?" At the end of the song, not a single 5th grader, male or female, was dry eyed. The teacher simply turned off the music, looked over us, and said quietly, "That is what happens when you mix words with music." It wasn't until recently I realized just how powerful chant and music can be. Robert Gass captures that power. Whether you listen for spiritual reasons or just for the beauty of the sound, Medicine Wheel is a beautiful album, and more than one song will touch you deeply. My second favorite, or perhaps vying for first place, is "Woa Woa", the song of a male wolf calling, and the she-wolf's answer. I love this album."