wrote: "After years of playing it straight with her roots-y approach to standard jazz, blues and folk sounds, singer Cassandra Wilson has recently moved (rather measurably) left towards a more modern feel, her results garnering mixed reviews from her purist fan base.

"[4] The Buffalo News review by Jeff Simon noted, "So gorgeous, though, is that dark, pillowy contralto -- as amazing a vocal sound as exists anywhere in current American music -- that you simply acquiesce to all of her stubborn detours around her own genius.

"[3] Martin Johnson of Paste Magazine stated: "...the recording’s broad, open sound is built around keyboards rather than small percussion instruments and gentle acoustic guitars.

But the change in music hasn’t altered Wilson’s overall aesthetic; she’s still delving deeply into the roots of the Delta and celebrating its eclectic possibilities.

The recording takes its name from the Native American legend about the animal that brought calm and growth to its haunts, and Wilson claims this spirit guided the collaboration...