Reviewed by George Luke

Sayani (the Cherokee word for Zion) are Jorie and Christie West, a Cherokee/Creek mother-daughter duo based in Hilo, Hawaii - a place name I remember from old Hawaii Five-0 repeats. This, their debut album, fuses Native American and Hawaiian music, country, celtic and American folk influences with lyrics that reflect both their faith and their Indian heritage. Both these strands cross on the song "Medicine Woman", which tells the story of a Christian woman who goes to some small town and prays for the sick with miraculous results.but gets thrown out by the (presumably white) locals, who assume she must be a witch because she's an Indian. In a similar vein, "Cherokee Pride" tells of how racism leads another Indian woman to try to keep her ethnicity a secret, and the turmoil that causes. "Hawaiian Skies" and "Puhi Bay" are tributes to the group's adopted homeland. Though primarily sung in English, many of the tracks contain liberal doses of Tsalagi, Lakota and Hawaiian lyrics, and guest appearances by some acclaimed Hawaiian guitarists and ukulele players enhance the 'island' feel of the album. I must admit, I found Sayani's voices and musical arrangements a bit too saccharine for my liking. But that aside, there isn't much to find fault with on this.

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