Our Pick : Little Hawk - Vigilance

Artist—Little Hawk
Song—Six  Nations
Album—Vigilance
Label—Ojiji Music

Troy Westwood may be better known as one of Canadian Football League’s more colorful kickers with 17 years in the CFL and playing with the Winnipeg Blues Bombers but thanks to his Aboriginal relations, he began his music career as one of the founders of Eagle & Hawk and then returned to music from football as Little Hawk. Troy has been adopted into the Aboriginal music industry and with the number of Aboriginal Music Awards under his belt is proving he’s earned his way in this community.

Little Hawk delivers a delightfully pleasant album and he stays true to meeting an Aboriginal theme, including my favorite song, “Six Nations”, which he does stripped down with just a hand drum and his voice. This approach he repeats on “Then They Came” in his most haunting but still soothing voice. Most of this album delivers solid songs stretching from rock to country, much of it flavored with the Aboriginal cultural sound and subject matter that fills his life. Little Hawk is a very likable southern rock-sounding artist whose singing is confident and expressive. Some songs are driven by what sounds like a traditional drum, as found on “$13,000”, keeping a heart-beat of which any Aboriginal person will instantly recognize.

It’s clear the Aboriginal community won the game of hearts with Troy Westwood and Little Hawk is scoring touchdowns with his music that is winning him more hearts than kicking the pig skin ever did.
Reviewed by K. Kanten