Contact from the Underworld of Redboy

Amazon.com
As on 1994's Music for the Native Americans, Contact from the Underworld of Redboy finds former Band leader Robbie Robertson incorporating Native American musical textures into ultramodern soundscapes. Once again, Robertson fares best when he turns the microphone over to his guests. Verdell Primeaux and Johnny Mike's "Peyote Healing" is almost otherworldly in its beauty, and political prisoner Leonard Peltier's guest rap on "Sacrifice" lends the record some legitimate political weight. In comparison, Robertson's mannered, overly processed vocals make songs like "In the Blood" sound like Don Henley attempting a Native American version of Paul Simon's album Graceland; one hopes that this wasn't exactly what he was trying for. --Dan Epstein

Entertainment Weekly
[Robbie Robertson's] oppressive use of overripe synths and trendy electro beats fails to disguise the slightness of the songs or strained characterlessness of his vocals, and the chilly, claustrophobic result does a major disservice to the subject matter.

Contact from the Underworld of Redboy

Contact from the Underworld of Redboy,Robbie Robertson,Capitol,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter

Contact from the Underworld of Redboy

Average customer rating:

Peyote+Huge Ego=Contact from the Underworld of Redboy
Lakol wicohan kin ahokipapi kte!
Overprocessed sweetgrass
Solid.
Emotional Absinthe

Contact from the Underworld of Redboy
Robbie Robertson
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Music for the Native Americans
Storyville
Robbie Robertson
500 Nations: A Musical Journey (1996 Television Documentary)
Sacred Spirit: Chants and Dances of the Native Americans

ASIN: B00000634T
Release Date: 1998-03-10

Tracks:

The Sound Is Fading
The Code Of Handsome Lake
Making A Noise
Unbound
Sacrifice
Rattlebone
Peyote Healing
In The Blood
Stomp Dance (Unity)
The Lights
Take Your Partner By The Hand (Red Alert Mix)

Amazon.com

As on 1994's Music for the Native Americans, Contact from the Underworld of Redboy finds former Band leader Robbie Robertson incorporating Native American musical textures into ultramodern soundscapes. Once again, Robertson fares best when he turns the microphone over to his guests. Verdell Primeaux and Johnny Mike's "Peyote Healing" is almost otherworldly in its beauty, and political prisoner Leonard Peltier's guest rap on "Sacrifice" lends the record some legitimate political weight. In comparison, Robertson's mannered, overly processed vocals make songs like "In the Blood" sound like Don Henley attempting a Native American version of Paul Simon's album Graceland; one hopes that this wasn't exactly what he was trying for. --Dan Epstein

Customer Reviews:

Peyote+Huge Ego=Contact from the Underworld of Redboy.......2007-02-19

I finally realized what's been missing in Robbie Robertson's solo work. Soul. Soul in the music and especially in the vocals. Robbie, you should run to Levon Helm and beg his forgiveness. Reunite what's left of the Band and erase the memories of the audio nightmare that has been your solo work!

Lakol wicohan kin ahokipapi kte!.......2007-02-14

This is purely an emotional response, but given the fact that Indian people are relegated to stereotypic and one-dimensional presentations, it's almost cathartic to hear new, fully fleshed art. We are a living, breathing, enduring and -- believe it or not, we don't all live in tipis -- modern culture, it is validating to see it reflected back to us not only in the faces and sounds of our ancestors but also in the faces and sounds of ourselves as we are now.

Overprocessed sweetgrass.......2005-12-03

I can't see how you can go from the Band to Robbie's solo stuff without a number of reservations. I'm sure Levon's face would be screwed up at the awful use of programmed drum beats. Yeah, very indian, Robbie. Whenever he sings I can understand why his mike was off for The Last Waltz. It sets a tone for the music which is absolutely lacking in bite. So very removed from the rich interplay of the Band. When other vocals are weaved in for ethnic effect it sounded banal to me. His 'indian' concept albums suffer from a badly warmed-up feel. If you take the guitar break in Rattlebone it dies on its feet when the beat comes in. And then when the chorus comes, I guess, the intensity is meant to increase. I found it an embarrasment. This could have a warning to listeners on the perils of mixing indigenous sounds into a "relevant sounding production'. This is very controlled music. At times, not much more than the distasteful 'new age' prettification of Sacred Spirit. Where is the fun, Robbie?! This is so guilty of taking itself too seriously. And what happened to his skill with lyrics. "Wait a minute, where am I? On this elevator to nowhere. Going up. Going down." Writing lyrics for Richard Manuel, for Rick Danko, and Levon Helm is like writing for great actors. Robbie has a limited ability to convey drama and he has given himself lyrics to which he is well suited.

Robbie has a mean knack for working a progression in his song-writing and you can still hear that. But closing the earlier chapter of his musical life will always haunt him. The irony of setting out to move with the times is he has condemened his sound to a particular pocket of over-production. There is nothing on this or Music for Native American Indians which comes faintly close to the pleasure, the sadness, the intensity of Don't Do It on The Last Waltz. Well, any track from that concert.

Solid........2004-12-23

With some native american heritage myself, I've sampled a few artists (Nakai, etc). But I put this album and Robertson's "Music for Native Americans" together at the top of my "native american" list. It's traditionally influenced without being trite, modern without being too edgy. Thumbs up.

Emotional Absinthe.......2004-06-15

Better than therapy, lovelier than a summer rain, smoother than smoke, heart pounding like Bison, sentimental like a first kiss, tougher than leather, rapturous like love. Robbie Robertson delivers once again. This album does the very difficult: it communicates an authentic sense of culture and history without beating you upside the head, while also being totally OPEN and embracing to outside influence. This music communicates its history to you in simultaneously subtle and overt ways (just like most Indigenous people do in person), and speaks to your head and heart at the same time.

And for good measure, it also gets you off your ass and gets you dancing. Now what could be better than that?

For God's sake Robbie, you've made us wait long enough! Give us another album already!

In The Blood [3-Track CD Single]
Average customer rating:
In The Blood [3-Track CD Single]
Robbie Robertson , and Time Gordine
Manufacturer: Capitol Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000RSELIM

Product Description

3 Track CD Single by Robbie Robertson: (1) In The Blood (Single Edit) 3:51 (2) In The Blood (Alternate Single Edit) 4:06 (3) In The Blood (Goldhawk Mix) 3:51