Jonathan Elias - American River

Well, it's not a country album. It is, matter of fact, a classical album with some spoken-word performances by prominent country singers, which is how it ended up landing on my desk. However, it is a tremendously moving and emotional album with stunning melodic quality and richly textured moods. It richly evokes the feeling of that which it is a tribute to The American River.

The American River has been brutalized, tamed, constrained, flood-controlled, dammed, diverted, polluted, and very nearly dried completely out of existence. Yet for all that, there are stretches of wild water still that evoke the spirit of the untamed wilderness and that pioneer spirit that took people up and down them in times gone by, and the music of this album beautifully captures that feeling.

Classical music is not merely constrained to the composers who lived centuries ago; indeed, Classical music is as much a living genre as any, and Jonathan Elias proves that with this eloquent and thought-provoking theme album. Using some of the richest and most authentic voices in country music, Elias further enriches his vision through moving poetry that speaks of the spirit of the land from the mighty Mississippi to the muddy Rio Grande to the sparkling blue of the Colorado. It's not a protest album nor is it environmentalist patter; rather, it promotes internal thought about the waters which are, in truth, our very life, which we have used so carelessly over the centuries.

The most powerful track is written and performed by Kris Kristofferson, his writing always hard-hitting; but as always the mighty voice of Johnny Cash resounds like thunder. This performance was Johnny's last time in the studio, and as such, the wavering voice takes on an even greater note of solemnity. The message in this album can't be simply discounted, but the music will take you to a wondrous place.