John Trudell is one of the few recording artists who would include a review by the FBI among the blurbs in his press material — right between kind words from Bonnie Raitt and a rave from the LA Weekly. “Extremely eloquent,” some unidentified G-man wrote. Somehow it’s hard to believe that the rest of this “review” is as glowing.
Long before he was known for his poetry or music, Trudell was a leader of the American Indian Movement. His life story was immortalized in song by Kris Kristofferson: “Johnny Lobo” tells how, after Trudell burned an American flag at a 1979 protest (on the steps of the FBI Building in Washington, D.C.), a fire at his family home in Nevada killed his wife, three children and mother-in-law.
In 1986, Trudell, backed by guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, recorded the first version of what most consider his best work, AKA Grafitti Man, which featured Trudell reciting his poetry over a mix of basic rock ‘n’ roll and traditional Native American music. (The album was re-recorded in the early ’90s, using the late Davis’ original guitar parts.)
Bone Days features the same basic ingredients, including many of the same musicians. There are “political” songs about the plight of the red man (“Crazy Horse”, “Hanging From The Cross”) but also several love songs, (“Takes My Breath”, “Sorry Love”).
The songs that work best are the bluesy ones such as “Hanging From The Cross”, “Carry The Stone”, and the title song, in which a raunchy slide guitar (played by Mark Shark) plays off traditional chants by Quiltman. One of the most satisfying tunes is “Lucky Motel”, a melding of East Indian and American Indian sounds, with Shark trading his slide for an electric sitar. Quiltman wails and Trudell sounds almost stately in reciting his subtly lusty lyrics.
Several songs — “Undercurrent”, “Ever Get the Blues” and “Takes My Breath” among them — seem to slip into a MOR/lite-jazz sound reminiscent of late-era Doobie Brothers, heavy on keyboards and sappy vocals.
One constant, though, is Trudell’s voice. He can sound authoritative, full of righteous anger, and even vulnerable in the course of one line. “All we need now/Some nice days in a row,” he says on “Sorry Love”. The way Trudell says it, a listener can believe this is not only a solution for a dying love affair, but for the world situation in general.
