Annie Humphrey - The Heron Smiled (2000)

Annie Humphrey could be herded into the singer-songwriter stereotype-soft-spoken, building her sound on the common 2/4 strum of an acoustic guitar. But lie down with that voice and you'll feel it for a long time. Humphrey sings partly to overcome the stagnation she found on the rez, but her Native American heritage is part of her work, not a label or a crutch. Two songs were inspired by American Indian Movement activist John Trudell, who does a cameo on "DNA," reminding oppressors that people are who they are all the way to the blood. "Falling Down and Falling Apart," written by Sherman Alexie and Jim Boyd," is a wonderful mix of Native imagery that speaks to anyone who is a target of a dominating culture, while "500 Years" is a moving compendium of the atrocities committed by Europe's children.