Music Reviews of Alice Di Micele's "Circle of Women"

By Ruth Mountaingrove

Have you ever been in a circle of lesbians and someone suggests that we sing together and all those songs you used to know have just flown from your mind, or are not appropriate.

Wouldn't it be great to have a collection of songs that a group of women can sing together?

Well, look no further. Alice Di Micele has produced a beautiful CD "Circle of Women" for all of us. I've been playing the CD for days now without getting tired of it. There is such a variety and some of these songs are in the public domain meaning they are not copyrighted and can be used by anyone who wants to sing them.

A number of these songs are familiar to me. I've sung them in circles in Southern Oregon at Fly-away-home, on the special days they celebrate there, or under a full moon at Rootworks or at a summer solstice celebration at Rainbow's End.. Earth My Body, Simple Gifts (tis a gift to be simple), We All Come from the Goddess, Down by the Riverside, Woman I am, Spirit I am.

But there were new ones too: Umamu Ya Jabula, a traditional South African chant, and Siyahamba, the freedom song of South Africa.

There are more songs, new to me, written by Windsong, Karen Beth, Alice DI Micele, I-Chele Greentree, and Lisa Theil.

The recording is the result of six women from different communities and backgrounds joining hearts and souls in the studio for six days of sharing of ideas, arranging music and creating a sacred circle of sisterhood that goes beyond the guidelines for any regular recording project, according to Di Micele.

She goes on to say that a deep love of music, of life and a commitment to healing the wounds between people and the earth is the thread we have woven together here.

The Circle of Women CD is dedicated to Judi Bari, whose commitment to protecting the earth and the rights of the disenfranchised may only have been surpassed by her love of her children and good music, says Alice.

This is truly a woman's production from the lead vocals to the instruments played by these women, and what a variety these instruments are: shaker, guitar, rainstick, handclaps, dulcimer, ocarina, rattle, Celtic harp, English horn, flute, drum, bell whistle, viola, violin. The didgeridoo is played by "Elianna" Elizabeth Krakauer.

The singers are Shelley Phillips, Freyda Epstein, Elouise Burrell, Tina Malia, Windsong and Alice Di Micele. And great singers they are, beautiful harmony. Alice is also the producer. Wonderful to have a woman in that spot.

But the nicest part of this CD is that your circle can learn some of these songs too just by singing along with this "Circle of Women".