Power in the Blood

Buffy Sainte-Marie, now 74 and into her 51st year as a recording artist, was born in Canada to Cree parents. She grew up in the US, making a name for herself during the 60s as a distinctive singer-songwriter whose striking songs and engagement in Red Power protests for Native American rights pushed her to the forefront of the US folk revival. She recorded Illuminations, an experimental electronic album in 1969, won an Academy Award for co-writing Joe Cocker's slushy ‘Up Where We Belong’ in 1982 and recently supported Morrissey in concert. Here she has recorded a challenging album that mixes pow wow rhythms with electronic arrangements. Sainte-Marie continues to protest (‘The Uranium War’) and revisit her older songs (‘It's My Way’, ‘Not the Lovin’ Kind’, ‘Generation’). Surprisingly, she covers two protest songs by British bands: UB40's ‘Sing Our Own Song’ and Alabama 3's ‘Power in the Blood’. While the production tends towards bombastic, Sainte-Marie sings with confidence and verve – which is no less than what you would expect from this marvellous maverick.