CM Magazine: All One Earth: Songs for the Generations

________________ CM . . . . Volume I Number 18 . . . . October 13, 1995

All One Earth:
Songs for the Generations
Michael Caduto.
Michael Caduto/Luna Blu, 1994. 47 minutes.
Kids' Tunes Distribution, 4-500 Alden Rd., Markham, ON L3R 5H5.
Compact Disc, $19.99.
Cassette Tape, $12.99.

Subject Heading:
Children's songs.

Grades 3 - 6 / Ages 8 - 11.
Review by MaryLynn Gagne.

excerpt:

Now modern man has weaponry
to blast us all into eternity
designed by our most brilliant minds
to kill us all a thousand times
Could history repeat once more
by modern-day conquistadors
and would you think it loony tunes
to see the Rabbit in the Moon.

This carefully crafted sound recording brings together eleven nicely arranged songs performed by writer, ecologist, and musician Michael Caduto. Caduto's music and lyrics, composed over the last ten years, reflect his interest in indigenous cultures ("Circles of life," "Stories from the Rising Sun"), and his dedication to environmental causes ("All our relations," "When the land is all paved over").

All One Earth is billed as "a musical companion to the Keepers of the Earth books, co-authored by Caduto. Some of the selections, like "Keepers of the Night," have an obvious tie-in with the series; others, like "New Hampshire Autumn," although pretty enough, seem slightly out of place here. (John Denver encounters Raffi somewhere east of Colorado?)

I had anticipated, and rather hoped that this recording would include some elements of native North American music. A brochure accompanying the CD notes that Caduto does use traditional drums and rattles in some of his songs; my untutored ear was unable to detect any such sounds on this album. In fact, most of the songs have an unadulterated folk-music feeling. Mellow sounds of acoustic guitars (handcrafted), violin, mandolin, flute, and recorder accompany Caduto and other male and female vocalists. A children's chorus, as well as field-recorded nature sounds are used to good effect on some of the selections. Caduto's voice unfortunately tends to have a certain droning quality, especially noticeable in some of the slower pieces. My favourite song was the more up-tempo ballad "Rabbit in the Moon," written by Rex Fowler from Aztec Two-Step (quoted in the excerpt above).

While a few of the All One Earth songs will appeal mostly to younger children, there is something on this CD for listeners of all ages. With adequate preparation and introduction, individual songs could be selected to round out a lesson or unit of study, or to stimulate discussion in the social studies or language arts classroom.

Somewhere in every heart that beats
the moon lights the face of a child
reminding us all that there is a place
in the darkness that reflects the morning sun
Out in the darkness an owl calls
its lonely haunting song
the notes reach the ears of a sleeping child
as she dreams of the Man in the Moon

Recommended.

MaryLynn Gagne selects K-12 materials, and provides Reference services in the Education Library at the University of Saskatchewan.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - October 13, 1995.