| Raven in the Snow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Label | Reprise [1] | |||
| Producer | Richard Bennett | |||
| Bill Miller chronology | ||||
| ||||
Raven in the Snow is an album by the Native American musician Bill Miller, released in 1995. [2] [3] The first two singles were "River of Time" and the title track. [4] [5] Miller supported the album by opening shows for the BoDeans and then Tish Hinojosa. [6] [7]
Produced by Richard Bennett, the album was recorded in Nashville. [8] [9] "In Every Corner of the Forest" is a three-part instrumental that was inspired by a Mike Watt/Eddie Vedder show; much of the rest of the album was influenced by the Byrds and Richie Havens. [10] [11] [12] Miller played flute on Raven in the Snow, and was supported by an electric band on most of the songs. [13] [14] Miller wrote many of the songs with members of his backing band. [15] Miller chose the album's rock sound in part due to commercial considerations. [16]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [17] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [18] |
| MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | [8] |
| USA Today | [19] |
USA Today called the "rocking" Raven in the Snow "one of the most powerful and poetic releases of the year." [19] The Vancouver Sun wrote: "From Dylan-esque harp leads to crunching, spellbinding backbeats, Miller combines the best of all worlds to come up with straightforward folk-rock with a little something extra." [9] City Pages considered the album "an uncategorizable mix of smart Triple-A pop and meditative tribal rhythms, with strong echoes of Dylan's best '70s stuff." [20]
The Record labeled the album "a multi-faceted musical masterpiece," writing that the songs "are fresh and crackle with fine, crisp musicianship." [21] The Plain Dealer determined that Miller's music "isn't prefabricated and delves into important and uncomfortable themes concerning America's treatment of its native people." [22]
AllMusic deemed "River of Time" "a harmonica-driven, midtempo rocker that compares favorably with the music of artists like Peter Himmelman." [17] The Mercury News listed Raven in the Snow among the best albums of 1995. [23]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "River of Time" | |
| 2. | "Brave Heart" | |
| 3. | "In Every Corner of the Forest (Part 1)" | |
| 4. | "Listen to Me" | |
| 5. | "Red Bird, Yellow Sun" | |
| 6. | "After the Storm" | |
| 7. | "Raven in the Snow" | |
| 8. | "Pile of Stones" | |
| 9. | "In Every Corner of the Forest (Part 2)" | |
| 10. | "The Final Word" | |
| 11. | "Eagle Must Fly Free" | |
| 12. | "This Kind of Love" | |
| 13. | "In Every Corner of the Forest (Part 3)" |
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