CD Review: Shubha Mudgal/Ursula Rucker/Business Class Refugees' 'No Stranger Here'

Shubha Mudgal/Ursula Rucker/Business Class Refugees
No Stranger Here
EarthSync

Inspired by poetry written by Kabir in the 16th century, No Stranger Here is surprisingly refreshing, remarkable, and steeped in Hindustani traditions that are reinvented for the modern era. The spoken word artistry of Ursula Rucker provides a contemporary, yogic feel, while still remaining rich with sound and eloquent mysticism. Born in Allahabad, India, Shubha Mudgal brings a qualified, vocal presence to the mix with a pop, fusion, and Hindustani khayal background. Business Class Refugees are Patrick Sebag and Yotam Agam. These originators provide a more contemporary base with rhythmic percussion and electronic wizardry that sets the stage for a creative stew of sumptuous concoctions for any world music fan with a hankering for South Asian invasion. Don't be a stranger here...buy it today! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Nagore Sessions of South India

Various Artists

Nagore Sessions

EarthSync

The Sufi-inspired chants of Abdul Ghani, Ajah Maideen, and Saburmaideen Babha Sabeer from the Nagore Dargah, or shrine, in Tamil Nadu (South India) are backed with traditional instrumentation and modern beats. As a whole, the music is more traditional than electronic. At any rate, there is a nice balance of vocals and instrumentation without distracting the flow of the album. The chants, sung in Tamil, are borrowed from traditional Indian texts. The simplicity of the singing is easily accessible for fans of Indian music, Bollywood, and Kollywood (South India) music. The traditional frame drum, strings, tabla, sitar, harmonium, and others, reflect the history of the songs. The music takes on a Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Indian sound similar in tone to Pakistan's Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali. The symphonic beats, Sufi singing, and traditional sounds make Nagore Sessions a must-have for any music fan! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Myanmar Meets The West

Khing Zin Shwe & Shwe Shwe Khaing

Voice Over The Bridge

EarthSync

Khing Zin Shwe and Shwe Shwe Khaing are both Myanmarese singers that have studied the classical and traditional songs of Myanmar's distant past. Using the Maha Gita, which is a classical work of songs praising kings as early as the thirteenth-century, the singers convey delicate moods and emotions with their angelic vocalizations. The addition of contemporary instrumentation 'updates' traditional music by immersing the listener in electronic washes of color with classical strings, piano, drums, flute, guitar, bass, and contrabass. The melding of East-meets-West is not an unfamiliar concept, though it is rare to find any music coming out of Myanmar today. Rarity aside, Voice Over The Bridge echoes the sounds of the East and the West with a sense of epic serenity. Listeners may also be interested in the film and music of the Laya Project (EarthSync, 2010), which features the music of Southeast Asia. Experience Myanmar for yourself! ~ Matthew Forss