left to right: Michael Kott, Robert Mirabal and Patrick Mirabal. Photo: Jaap Vanderplas

Wow! New releases from Native artists continue to pour into our office, just in time for the holidays. Here are notes on some that have caught our ear. The rocking blues band Indigenous, with a change in personnel, returns with another professional dish of blazing guitar and gritty vocals by Mato Nanji, solid bass by brother Pte and drums by Michael Bland on Chasing the Sun (Vanguard Records). With most songs penned by Mato, it shows another step in his consistent maturation as an artist. Punk rockers Black Fire from the Navajo Rez have a cool new combined CD/DVD out titled Beyond Warped (immergent.com or blackfire.net) that includes some classics from the Ramones as well as their own works. Once side has 10 vocal tracks; the other features video shot on the Warped Tour, two documentaries, a music video and more music. Eagle and Hawk, a Canadian group that has garnered top music awards up north, has a fine CD out titled Life Is (Rising Sun Productions) that melds high production quality in a rock vein with a strong Native message, as in “Wild West Show.” Brulé (brulerecords.com), led by Paul LaRoche on keyboards, is increasingly highlighting the talents of his son Shane LaRoche on guitars and in production roles and his daughter Nicole LaRoche on flutes—as in Tribal Rhythm and Tatanka. Both CDs are operatic in scope, dominated by a dreamy, all-instrumental tone. The band added a new member recently, Moses Brings Plenty (Lakota), and South Dakota PBS is planning to air a special on the band in 2007. Also out is a fascinating and moving account of Paul’s discovery of his adoption roots and rejoining his lost Native family in the book Hidden Heritage (Beaver’s Pond Press) by Barbara Marshak. Robbie Bee (son of XIT founder Tom Bee), performing under the pseudonym of Santee, released Legacy (Sound of America Records) in 2005 and we missed it, but the wait was worth it. Robbie wrote, produced, engineered and played all the instruments on it—a captivating mix of flute, drums, Native drum and synthesizers, some traditional singing, and dialogue in Lakota, Comanche and Kiowa that strips away stress. Country fans will love a compilation titled Manitoba Aboriginal Artists (aboriginalmusic.ca), especially the basso profundo of Ray St. Germain on “I’m Mighty Proud I’m Metis,” J.J. Lavallee on “Honky Tonk Life,” and Rayne DeLaronde on “Damn Him For Messing With My Heart.” But the sampler also has outstanding blues (Billy Joe Green), thrash (Killah Green) ballads (J.C. Campbell), rock (C-Weed on great redo of “Spirit in the Sky”), pop (Jessie Higheagle), powwow and rap. Also out is another outstanding work of vocals (in English and Cree) and simple drum from Randy Wood, teamed up with the superb percussionist Will Clipman in My Heart and Soul (Canyon Records). Robert Mirabal has a unique collection of 12 traditional Christmas carols he’s interpreted in flute and cello on Pueblo Christmas (Star Roads Records), a rock track “Green Chile Christmas,” and a spoken track. For powwow fans comes Confederacy Style Pow-Wow Live at Post Falls (Canyon Records), composed of music from the Blackfoot people. The National Geographic Society now offers free music streams, interactive maps, 99-cent MP3 downloads and more at worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com, including many Native artists globally.