Search - Lawrence Laughing :: Now Our Minds Are One

Lawrence Laughing is among a new generation of Native American singers that is bringing its traditional music and culture into a more contemporary setting. He shares much with Iroquois singer Joanne Shenandoah, with whom he recorded the album Orenda in 1998. Like Shenandoah, Laughing conveys a quiet, hymnlike quality in his songs. These aren't trance-inducing pow-wow chants, but gentle traditional songs that evoke his connections with his people and their environment. When spoken in English, such as on "Hope," the sentiments expressed can sound a bit simplistic, but when sung in Laughing's native Mohawk tongue, his songs carry a spirit that transcends language. The atmosphere of Now Our Minds Are One is provided by producer Tom Wasinger, who has also worked with Shenandoah. As he did for Shenandoah's powerful Peacemaker's Journey album, Wasinger surrounds Laughing's songs with delicate acoustic and electric guitar ornaments, subtle, coloristic percussion, and soothing harmonies. The simple pluck of a rabab or the stark whine of a bowed zither is enough to set the stage for Laughing's songs of the spirit. --John Diliberto