First of May For Earth and Her Children CD
by Sharon Knight & Karl Franzen © 2001
(available from www.flowinglass.com)
$17.50
Reviewed by: Mike Gleason
The songs on this CD are in an “environmental shamanistic” vein, composed of both folk and original music. This is not music you are likely to hear anywhere else.
While they may not appeal to everyone, this duo has a sound which I feel would blend in anywhere from a die-hard environmental gathering to a neighborhood club. In fact, the last five tracks were recorded at a lounge in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
This is another offering from Flowinglass Music (www.flowinglass.com) and provides a further example of their commitment to serving the needs of the Pagan community.
There is a nice mixture of traditional and new music – three of the tracks are traditional, four are from Ms. Knight and four are from Mr. Franzen. Their voices and sounds blend in a way which, to me, emphasizes the unity of all of us with the wider world.
Buying this CD won’t change the world (or even your life), but it will encourage the4 artists, and Flowinglass Music, to provide us with more music which actually stimulates thinking. I’ve said this in every review of music from this independent distributor – we need to support such enterprises if we want to be able to hear music which appeals to us.
Being an older generation Pagan I appreciate music which tells a story and has a mellow sound. That is what this CD provides. If you are fonder of the “metal” sound, you probably won’t have as much enthusiasm for this style of music. Even so, do yourself a favor and take some time to experience this work. You may be surprised.