Our Pick: Artist-Donna Kay with Little Island Cree

Page 17

Album-The Journey

Song-Calling You

Label-Independent

Producer-Peter Bacsalmasi

A nice mix from accomplished singer

Singer, songwriter and percussionist Donna Kay has a chance to demonstrate all three of her talents on her new CD, The Journey. Kay provides both vocals and percussion on each song on the album, and wrote 10 of the 12 tracks featured.

As she did on her last album, Full Circle, Kay teams up with Little Island Cree for her latest effort. The drum group hails from Island Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, near Ministikwan Lake where Kay was born and raised. The members of Little Island Cree provide hand drum, powwow drum and vocals for The Journey.

The two cuts on the album not written by Kay feature yet another Saskatchewan performer, storyteller, singer and musician Joseph Naytowhow, originally from Sturgeon Lake First Nation. Naytowhow contributes his storytelling and singing talents to the spoken word piece Earth Mother and to Joseph's Song.

The Journey is an interesting mix of sounds and styles. Mandolin and harmonica meet hand drum and Cherokee flute as Kay combines pop, rhythm and blues and country with a strong Native influence running throughout. But, regardless of the style of the song or the variety of instruments backing her up, it's Kay's dynamic and versatile voice that shines through.