On his self-titled debut, Johnny Whitehorse moves at a stately pace, suggesting landscapes from a past when nature and man were in harmony. Whitehorse creates an atmosphere of open spaces, using a few nature sound effects.

He uses his flute sparingly and does not try to fill in very much. Larry Mitchell adds a bit of synthesizer and guitar on "The Last Ride of Cochise." Robert Mirabel, who also has flute CDs on Silver Wave Records, plays native drums, percussion and xylophone. Whitehorse plays didgeridoo instead of flute on one cut.

Each of the tracks has a story behind it. Many are about horses, like "Whitehorse Rides." "Fear the Colt" is about horse trainers. Other titles are self-explanatory, like "Iron Horse" and "Spirit Rider." There is a short paragraph about each of the 10 tunes on the CD sleeve.

Those who like the ethereal, faraway atmosphere of Native American flute music will find this a worthy addition to the genre.

by Dave Howell
Rambles.NET
3 February 2007