Mari Boine

The joiking of the Sami people of northern Scandinavia formerly known as Lapplanders is the basis of electrified fusion music by Mari Boine. Most often linked to shamanism, joiking is a kind of phonetic poetry consisting mainly of untranslatable vocables and sung in a chanting fashion somewhat reminiscent of certain Native American vocal music. Boine yokes the joiking tradition to a new age sensibility and plenty of sensuality in her back-up band of breathlessly panting pan pipes, throbbing synth beats, and expectant percussion. Good taste and lots of energy keeps this from falling into the kitsch abyss, though at times it's a close call. ~ Bob Tarte, Rovi