Rising Son (CD - 2004)

RainSong: Terry Wildman (vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass instrument, drums); Darlene Wildman (vocals, flute, bass instrument, percussion, bells).

Rainsong mixes traditional Native American spirituality with Christianity. While this may seem incongruent to some, this type of religious hybrid has existed since the 19th century, when the missionaries attempted to convert all indigenous people to Christianity.

Rainsong features the husband and wife team of Terry and Darlene Wildman. Terry brings to this music his Indian (Chippewa and Yaqui) heritage, while Darlene invokes the mysticism of her Irish roots. The opening flute feature, "Daybreak" blends a stark Indian melody with fancy Irish ornamentation. Overall, this piece exacts the deep spiritual calling of both cultures. The rest of RISING SON is made up of sanguine pop tunes, all of which center on the worship of Jesus Christ. But unlike most Christian pop, this music is enhanced by Native American percussion instruments and the occasional use of vocables. (Vocables are syllables used commonly in Native American powwow music. Examples include "yeh, nay, and yo.") On several of these songs, including the title track and, especially, "Trail of Tears," the Wildmans' use the word Yahweh both to reference God and to mimic the Indian vocables "yah" and "weh." minimize