Man Wolf Strayhorn is a fully enrolled Cherokee. Raised in East Texas, he was taught to live close to the land by his grandfather as they would hunt and explore the deep woods. These life experiences shaped Man Wolf Strayhorn’s view of life as a Cherokee, and those views are evident in his music. Strayhorn is an artist, designing pipes, dream catchers, and tiny weapons of the “Little People.” He also builds hand-crafted Cherokee flutes and uses those flutes in his music. In the first of Strayhorn’s two offerings, Son Of Thunder!, you will hear those relaxing flute tones in a traditional Cherokee way. This is not just another one of those “Indian music” CD’s you’ve always wanted to own. I’ve heard a few of them in my day, and I really like this one. Soothing, yes, but the entire CD lets you reflect on your own relationship with nature. If you have any affinity at all for the plight of Native Americans, this CD will stir your emotions to the point of recognizing the sadness of an art all but lost, and a host of nations all but extinct. Strayhorn’s second offering here is much different. In addition to being a soulful and talented Cherokee flute player, Man Wolf is a pretty darn good country singer. So it’s no wonder he put together a project of Cherokee-minded songs set in a more traditional country music package. The CD is Unleashed, and it contains 10 cuts of Strayhorn’s original music. He gives a spoken introduction to each song, which really enhances the experience and helps you understand the meaning of the lyrics. While most of them need no introduction, some are thought provoking as in Strayhorn’s intro to “Whiskey” which explains, “A lot of Indian people were killed by diseases...one of the worst diseases the white man brought was whiskey.” Man Wolf Strayhorn’s music on CD; one is soothing Cherokee flute, and the other is full of fine country-styled, lyric-based, well-produced songs. It seems a shame to own one without the other. Get them today for $13.99 each!