Customer Reviews
Truly Amazing!!! - By: Jazz, 17 Oct 2007 
If you are a fan of all things asian, esspecially fusion & electronica, then this cd was made for you. Karsh Kale is a star & trancends the boundaries of style & aproach on this CD. Anoushka is a fabulous sitarist (learning from her famous father Mr. Ravi Shankar) & sows her skills throughout this album. The compositions are on another level as they flow seemlessly from Indian classical to rock & electronica. Sting is amazing as well. There are so man great guests on this album including Salim Merchant, the Midival Punditz & Anoushkas sister Norah Jones, even Ravi makes an appearancel. Both Shankar & Kale shine bright throughout this journey as they take us into the next paradigm of music.
Beautiful Indian-fusion with the sitar-goddess - By: Bodhi Heeren, 14 Sep 2007 The sitargoddess Anoushka started her career with three brilliant classical albums, showing both ability, talent & spiritual depth. But it was first with her last album "Rise" she really took a giant leap forward & stepped out on her own.
On this beautiful album she has teamed up with percussionwizzard Karsh Kale, probably best known for his great drumming on inummerable Bill Laswell productions. On this album Karsh, who has co-written most tracks with Anoushka, mostly has the role of multiinstrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, keyboards, while his considerable rythmic talents are more downplayed.
The are some illustrious guestsin the shape of Sting & Anoushka's (half)sister Norah Jones, & both provide stellar performances on what's clearly two of the best tracks. Elsewhere it's a host of classical trained Indian vocalists & musicians who sprinkle up things, like Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on slide guitar & Ajay Prassana on a very lyrical bansuri (bamboo flute). But the dominant factor apart from Anoushka & Kale is the strings arranged by Salim Merchant, a very tasteful Bollywood arranger. Reminding me of Ravi Shankar & Philip Glass' collaboration "Passages".
Most tracks are brilliant Indian electronica-fusion,in the style of Midival Punditz & Tabla Beat Science, but things rise to a transcendental high, when father Ravi joins the procedures on the beautiful "Oceanic", pt. 1 & 2, co-written with Anoushka. Amazing with what mastery he still plays the physical demanding sitar at the tender age of 86, & how Consciousness & Bliss seem to emanate from each note. And the album endsin similar meditative mood with the breathtakingly beautiful "Reprise".
I fellin love with the sitar, like manyin my generation, via George Harrison (and Brian Jones), & few plays it better than Anoushka, so it's great that there is actually a lot more sitar on this album than on "Rise", & that she seems to have developed even further as instrumentalist, realy utilizing the instrumentin non-classical settings.
Allin all highly recommended for all lovers of Indian music & of visionary & inventive musicin general.
