Buffy Sainte-Maries's name is forever connected to the protest branch of the
great folk revival in the early-to-mid-'60s, and more specifically to songs like
‘Universal Soldier’ and ‘Cod'ine’. "Soldier Blue: The Best of
the Vanguard Years” cuts a wider swath, however, featuring
Sainte-Marie's work from 1964, when the above songs were released, to 1969,
when her music had acquired a more experimental, rock edge.
The collected tracks mix these different eras at random, moving from stark
acoustic songs like ‘Cod'ine’ to rock & roll numbers like ‘Helpless’
to country pieces like ‘God Is Alive, Magic is Afoot’ While this is a bit
jarring, perhaps it serves to give a listener new to Sainte-Marie a more even
understanding of her work.
Through all of these stylistic changes, though, the forceful, often trembling
intensity of Sainte-Marie's voice creates a powerful unity. “Soldier Blue”
offers a fine intro to an artist who never allowed politics or musical style to
limit her vision.
