Various Artists [Three stars] EarthSync/Virgin Key Tracks: ‘Bagdad Guru,’ ‘Allahu Allah’
Chennai-based world music label EarthSync is, in their own words, “committed to nurturing folk, tribal and native music.” One of their first collaborative endeavours, Laya Project, featured musicians from six countries affected in the 2004 tsunami. Nagore Sessions, on the other hand, features three Sufi singers from the Nagore Dargah near Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu ”“ Abdul Ghani, Ajah Maideen and Saburmaideen Babha Sabeer ”“ singing devotional songs in Tamil and Arabic dialects. With exotic Middle-Eastern percussion meeting their earthy voices, this makes for fantastic world music. Keyboards, violins, basses and handclaps complete the rich texture of this album.
The album opener, ”˜Bagdad Guru,’ will have you swaying in no time ”“ no matter that you cannot decipher a word ”“ as will the meditative chanting of ”˜Ya Allah’ and the repetitive bass pattern of ”˜Allahu Allah.’ In fact, with each of the seven tracks on Nagore Sessions, your non-understanding of the language does not matter (though I suspect understanding it would make for a richer experience). Each of them will have you moving and tapping your feet, keeping time to the assorted beats. Guaranteed. Nagore Sessions is a great CD to add to your world music collection.
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