Buffy Sainte-Marie - 'Running For The Drum'

Buffy's first album of new songs since 'Coincidence' in 1992 has finally been released in the UK today - 'Running For The Drum' has arrived!

I popped into the giant HMV on Oxford Street to see whether they had it and as I left the escalator in the basement section I had a moment of being puzzled by what I was hearing... 'Cho Cho Fire' was being played over the loud speakers. I had to do a quick double-take to check whether I had my earphones in, but no, there it was all around me and a grin escaped. The album *must* be out if they're playing it around the shop and, walking over to the Buffy shelves, there it was.

I occasionally check the Buffy shelves in the folk section and it's nice to see them fully stocked with Buffy records. Last year the CDs were packed into a few shelves but now they're nicely spread out showing the range of her records. I assume this is because the new record is out and the show on the Southbank at the end of the month. It's also nice to see that the show is close to being sold out despite the absence of any significant publicity, even in the Southbank promotional materials - get your tickets now to avoid disappointment.

'Running For The Drum' is, of course, the same as the CD I bought from Canada last year - same songs and same packaging, including the DVD with the 'Multimedia Life' documentary. The only difference seems to be the small wording for the record label on the sleeve - no longer Gypsy Boy Music, now it's Cooking Vinyl and dated 2009. It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. It's also available to download on iTunes. Thank you Buffy!

And here's the video for the opening song on the album, 'No No Keshagesh':