[.ca] Aka Graffitti Man

outstanding work that encompasses passionate message:
Trudell has renewed the spirits of social justice concerning the state of Native Americans and all Americans in general. The idea that music should speak to the issues near and dear to all of us---war, poverty, racism, and economic justice---comes alive again with this work. The dream still lives and hope carrys on. Trudell has been there and done that--he has more than earned his due. The musical genious of Trudell is never more apparent than "Graffiti Man." Thanks brother John for the excellent work. Now let's get brother Peltier out of the depths of hell and make President Clinton promise to do better as he promised in 1992

You're missing out . . .:
If you have not yet listened to John Trudell, you are missing out. If you have any interest in contemporary Native American music you MUST get your hands on some. If you have any interest in powerfull, truthfull, poetry set to well written and played music you NEED to get your hands on some. I got "Blue Indians" by accident (see my review there) and fell in love. This is my second CD by John and the review below is right, I'm on my way to owning them all. It's hard to pick a favorite song, although "Bombs Over Baghdad" grabbed me immediately. This stuff goes beyond its birth as "Native American" to become truth that touches us all.

Poetry+Passion+Politics+Rock 'N' Roll=Compelling Listening:
John Trudell's music is difficult to categorize. The lyrics are spoken rather than sung, but they are integrated into the music so that they have the feel of songs rather than poems set to music. The musical backing is tough, spare, gritty alt-rock. Trudell's spoken vocals are never less than compelling, and on a few cuts there are choruses sung by members of his band. The main appeal though is clearly the lyrical content. Trudell is an extremely smart, articulate, radical Native-American activist, and his songs lash out at various targets - corporate greed, political corruption, middle-class complacency, sexism, militarism, etc., seldom failing to hit their mark. The stand-out track is "Bombs Over Baghdad", a searing condemnation of the 1992 war with Iraq set to a propulsive rock beat, and listening to it today (October 2002), one cannot help but think that it is even more true now than then. Sample lyric: "New world order is an old world lie. Fighting for peace, see how they die. Dragging in God, as they turn violent. God says nothing, he just remains silent." I also really like "Baby Boom Che", which is about how Elvis Presley first began (unwittingly) to sow seeds of counter-culturalism in the 50's. John Trudell's music will appeal to those who are pre-disposed to respond to his politically-left point of view, to those with a particular interest in Native American culture, and to those who enjoy literate, passionate rock 'n' roll. I'd think that fans of New York junkie poet/rocker Jim Carroll would be likely to like Trudell, as these two artists are actually very similar, although their lyrical concerns are worlds apart.

A poet's poet.........:
One thing all followers and fans of John Trudell have in common is that they do not (and simply cannot) own only one of his albums. They, to a person, have them all. This first commercial release tells you why. The album is, quite simply, 54 minutes and 19 seconds of unadulterated truth, and you will discover, as Rolling Stone Magazine did in their review of this, "the truth rocks"! When Dylan toured with the Grateful Dead back in 1986, this is the album he insisted be played in the arenas prior to the beginning of the show. He told anyone within earshot that Trudell was writing stuff other artists can only dream of doing. This album has NO weak link. All compositions are solid and meaningful. If you need an introduction into Trudell's works, this is it.

"Grafitti Man Has Something To Say":
Why reviewing an album that came out years ago? Two very specific reasons: because its artistic weight remains as relevant now as then, and because the times he speaks about aren't that different than what's going on today. Trudell is, first and foremost, a poet, a Native-American poet more specifically. I say this way because I'd urge not to file him away as an "ethnic artist" or, worse, as someone who may not have enough to say about your reality. In this album, which in my opinion is the most powerful of his career, his poignant, fierce words blend perfectly with its vintage rock music. There's no singing, in the traditional way, yet the cadence of his verses and the reserved yet passionate delivery of his words are packed with a distinct rhythm, an involving mood. It must be said too that Jesse Ed Harris, on lead guitar -whom you may remember from his playing in George Harrison's Bangla Desh Concert's band- has a lot to do with the atmosphere of the whole album. Songs like "Baby Boom Che," a tribute to Elvis' rock'n'roll contribution to freeing a whole generation from the mental stupor of music like Pat Boone's, particularly benefits from the obvious chemistry between Trudell and Davis. If you want "current," listen to "Bombs Over Bagdad" that although written about our president's father's war is chillingly exact of what you may think of his son's. "Grafitti Man," which gives this CD its title and opens things up, is another strong statement, artistically as much as politically. Actually, there are no weak tracks, and choices will be made by each listener. It's the way of poems, of true words, that some are destined to shake different bodies and speak, sometimes so personally, to specific hearts. This is a great example of socially committed poetry where the message does not have to make concessions to its artfulness. If you're looking for another R. Carlos Nakai -whom I respect, specially for his early output- you better skip this one. This will not soothe you nor make you feel more centered, but it will make you feel awake, lucid in the middle of the inevitable muck of our lives.

• Rockin' the Res
• Grafitti Man
• Restless Situations
• Wildfires
• Baby Boom Che
• Bombs over Baghdad
• Rich Man's War
• Somebody's Kid
• Never Never Blues
• What He'd Done
• Beauty in a Fade
• Tina Smiled