Power in the Blood is the fifteenth studio album by Buffy Sainte-Marie, released May 12, 2015, on True North Records."Buffy Sainte-Marie Returns with 'Power in the Blood'". Exclaim!, March 17, 2015.
The album includes both new material and contemporary re-recordings of some of her older songs. The title track is a cover of Alabama 3's song "Power in the Blood", from their 2002 album Power in the Blood.
Reception In a review of the album for NPR, critic Ann Powers wrote that "those who know her mostly by reputation as a standout of the early '60s folk revival will be delighted to discover an artist who's more Bjork than Baez, more Kate Bush than Laurel Canyon. Sainte-Marie is a risk-taker, always chasing new sounds, and a plain talker when it comes to love and politics.""Review: Buffy Sainte-Marie, 'Power In The Blood'". NPR, May 3, 2015.
The Canadian music magazine Exclaim! also praised the album, with Stuart Henderson writing that "in fact, Power In The Blood might just be the best album she's made since the late 1960s.""Buffy Sainte-Marie: Power In The Blood". Exclaim!, May 13, 2015.
Awards It won the 2015 Polaris Music Prize on September 21, 2015."Buffy Sainte-Marie wins Polaris Music Prize". The Globe and Mail, September 21, 2015.
Sainte-Marie won the Americana Music Award for Free Speech at their 2015 ceremony.
At the Juno Awards of 2016, the album won both Aboriginal Album of the Year and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year,"The Weeknd, Buffy Sainte-Marie grab most wins at pre-broadcast Juno gala". Toronto Star, April 3, 2016. and Sainte-Marie was nominated for Songwriter of the Year for "Farm in the Middle of Nowhere", "Ke Sakihitin Awasis (I Love You Baby)" and "Love Charms (Mojo Bijoux)"."Junos 2016: Complete list of Juno Award nominees". CBC News, February 2, 2016.
In March 2025, after the controversy around Sainte-Marie's long-claimed indigenous Canadian heritage, both the album's Juno and Polaris awards were revoked.Kevin Maimann, "Buffy Sainte-Marie stripped of Juno, Polaris music awards". CBC News, March 7, 2025.
Track listing "It's My Way" (3:55) "Power in the Blood" (4:03) "We Are Circling" (3:04) "Not the Lovin' Kind" (4:11) "Love Charms (Mojo Bijoux)" (4:06) "Ke Sakihitin Awasis (I Love You Baby)" (4:08) "Farm in the Middle of Nowhere" (2:43) "Generation" (3:54) "Sing Our Own Song" (4:52) "Orion" (3:00) "The Uranium War" (3:33) "Carry It On" (3:01)
References