Bill Miller
Ghostdance (Vanguard)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

---

A Mohican Indian, Bill Miller draws on his heritage as an inspiration for the music on Ghostdance, which uses the 1890 massacre of the Lakota/ Cheyenne encampment at Wounded Knee as a point from which to draw more universal themes of human emotion and spirituality. Miller is now based in Nashville, and while he uses American Indian flute and percussion to accent his music, he draws on his musical roots in rock and country as well as his Indian identity as he creates soundscapes that evoke the horror of that winter tragedy and the hope that is essential for survival and progress despite the tragedy of the past.

This Vanguard release is a re-issue of the album's original 1999 release, which reflects some of the struggle that Miller has had finding a niche for his music. Although he's an award winning artist in the community of Indian musicians, that's a fairly small community, and this isn't pow-wow music. His broader scope has drawn major label attention (Miller is a Warner Bros. veteran), but the stereotypes suffered by Indian musicians have made that attention less than ideally productive. Hopefully, Vanguard is the right solution - enough distribution to support success, but small enough to give him the time and space to build an audience for his expertly crafted sound.

Whatever you think of when you hear the words "American Indian musician," this probably isn't it. Try the category "terrific" instead and check out Ghostdance for yourself.

Track List:

Prelude (The Sun Is Gonna Rise Again) * Every Mountain I Climb * The Reason * Ghostdance * Forgive * The Vision * There Is You * The Last Stand * Blessing Wind * Waiting For The Rain * The Sun Is Gonna Rise

© 2000 - Shaun Dale