Track Listing

1. Utilauruminaq
2. Niaqurnguuq
3. Mikiyuutsunuk
4. Taqalikitaaq
5. Inuutsiarit
6. Inuuqatigigakkit
7. Why
8. Ivvilu Uvagalu
9. It’s up to you

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #741871 in Music
• Released on: 1997-03-28
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Inuutsiarit stands out as the top hit of this new album, Inuuqatik, released by Inukshuk Productions this spring. Over the nine tracks, Charlie Ningiuk-originally from Iqaluit but now living in Inukjuak-covers progressive rock for the most part, and some easy listening. There's a nice fuzz-guitar sound throughout this well-recorded CD.

About the Artist
Charlie was born in 1963 in Iqaluit, Nunavut ( on Baffin Island in the Canadian arctic) and that's where his musical history started, when he began elementary school in Iqaluit, in the 1970’s. He started making songs while on his way to school, to the beat of his footsteps. The first time he touched a guitar was at the age of 12 in 1979 when he started junior high. He didn’t learn much then until he moved to Inukjuak in Nunavik. There his friends started a band and that’s when he really got hooked.

Then 4-5 years later after following his friends band, ha started his own band using the community centers instruments. His musical influences at the time were from Nunavik artists like (Sikumiut, Sugluk Band, Charlie Adams, and especially Willia’s band from Inukjuak.. All of them with soft rock to hard rock influences, which has stayed today in Charlie’s music. After one year of practicing with his band they started playing at the local community center every Friday night.

Word of his music quickly traveled across the north with a strong demand for him to perform all across the north. During his musical carreer he has always played his own compositions except for 2 songs his first year.The same year that he started performing in public Charlie’s band showcased in a Nunavik festival in Inukjuak, and that became the beginning of his travels across the north.

Customer Reviews

Reviewing 8 CDs from the " Eskimo, Inuit " series

I am reviewing the eight CDs that I know of the series grouped under " Eskimo, Inuit " on Amazon.com ( which includes this one). To do it individually would take too long, I'll try & give an overall impression.

First, let me refer you to the site INUKSHUK, where you'll find samples & summaries, and to RAMBLES.net for reviews on each artist. You can't buy the CDs on these sites, but this series of CDs is now also listed in Europe: on AMAZON-DE ( AMAZON'S German branch ) - Good to know, as they are getting scarcer...

Having said that, I find that most of the samples on the Inukshuk site ( only one per CD anyway ) give such little justice to the albums they're supposed to represent, I actually waited a very long time before buying most of them - I shouldn't have: once I could listen to the whole albums, immersed into the northern atmosphere & experience, I was enchanted.

LAINA TULLAUGAK & HENOCH TOWNLEY, I bought first, a few of years ago, and they' re great:
- LAINA's album, all sung in Inuktitut ( Inuit ) like most in this series, is quite short, but chipper & spirited and gives a feeling of positiveness and poise. The first song instantly makes you feel far abroad, the melody being, well,...not anything you'd ever hear made in Europe or the US. Again, the sample given is not typical, as that song is the least zesty of the lot. This album is lovely, but only 7 songs is a bit short - come on Laina, give us more!

- HENOCH's album I think is rather well described in the 3 reviews on Amazon.com. He's the only one in the lot who doesn't sing in Inuktitut, though, which is my biggest criticism for it, even if the northern flavour is there anyway. I hope he makes a second album, and that it will include at least a few songs in Inuktitut, with the lyrics both printed in Inuktikut AND translated in the inserts!...

NOW ABOUT ALL FOUR BELOW BANDS/ ARTISTS ( TUMASSI QUITSAK, UVAGUT, NINGIUK, QIMUTJUIT ):

From the samples, I imagined something more in the lines of plain old rock ( seasoned with Inuktikut ), which it absolutely ISN'T. Of course there is some rock in parts, but it's accessory to the whole effect, and many songs are quite gentle and/ or meditative too. Also, there's a degree of earnestness, a feeling of non-fiction and reality in the lyrics, that elevates them over the usual pop & rock songs - whether you understand the lyrics or not, you can feel it to some extent, pervading the mood: they know what they want to sing & celebrate & share, and make that felt - and that is not your everyday, oh-baby kind of pop stuff.
When it's about people, then ( as I have noticed is the case with most songwriters of the arctic & subarctic, & not just Inuit ), it's about or to a son, a daughter, or all the children of the whole extended family, or even tribe, or even of the whole world, a wife, a grand parent - AT LEAST as much as about sweethearts... Definitely not pop. And I wouldn't call it folk or country either, except perhaps in bits. It's rather in a class OF ITS OWN.

On none of these albums do the instruments seem too loud or do they drown the vocals, who take pride of place - something that wasn't always clear on the samples, so that was a relief to find. The singing is sometimes very slow & there is breathing space, which really suits the style & language. I also found that, unlike when I heard the samples, I tend to focus on the vocals & sound of the language, & forget a bit about the instrumental arrangements.

- TUMASSI QUITSAK ( self-titled album ) I find very relaxing, with the lead vocals so serene & peaceful & ... ' Innuit-sounding' ( how do I start to describe this? I won't ). As a reviewer on Rambles says " the vocals keep their feet soundly on the ground", even though on some songs " the passion in the song blows you away". Pity this band forgot to give us any translation!

- UVAGUT surprises by the high-pitched vocals in many songs - not all: Different leads singers take turns. I would bet some songs also include female vocals ( all names in credits seem male, except " Ooleena" which could be female?); the band has 6 members. Like the others of the series, they sing their love for their land, for their ways & culture, & about their strong & loving family bonds, etc. All the lyrics are there, translated, in the inserts. Nice & relaxing. I especially love track 3 ( one with the high-pitched lead vocals)...

- CHARLIE NINGIUK a reviewer on Rambles.net found " an interesting musical experience", but concluded " Now I can finally say I've heard just about 'everything'. If this album is any indication of true Inuit music, I won't need to travel this road again. It's too weird for my tastes!" Someone's cup of tea isn't another's - that it's unusual, truly different, is part of what I like!
I have now just received C. Ningiuk's second album as well, and think it's even better than his first! Again, I didn't like the sample they give for it, but trusted the album would feel different, and I was right.

- QIMUTJUIT, Just as interesting & pleasing as the others, I appreciate for the particularly skillful lead vocals ( & good vocal backing too) right from the first song - where each sentence ends in a unusual lingering way...

I now would like to try CHARLIE ADAMS - the only reason I am not reviewing him here is I can't yet: I ordered his CD "Inuit & Indians" early in March this year directly from Amazon.com, but I am still waiting for it 3 months later - I have a great fear I may end up hearing it's found to be unavailable afterall...

Just to mention one more of the series: A NORTHERN CHRISTMAS disappointed me. I find I don't listen to it much; the zest & spark ( and foreign sensation ) that I find in the above albums are rather missing, some songs feel even lethargic. After listening, I couldn't really see the point of this CD, even though the songs are sung in Inuktitut. It's always pleasing to hear this language, but even this got lost a little here, perhaps as the songs were not made for it. Not one to start from to introduce yourself to this series in any case. It isn't representative of the above albums at all.

So which album to start with? Ah, this I can't answer... But to conclude, I'll say all these CDs have got me so excited about the language, that I even went on to buy an Inuktitut-English dictionary!