Customer Reviews

India

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The colorful tapestry of the cover drew me to this disc in surprising ways that I discovered upon listening, and not surprisingly, it has become my favorite purchase of this year in a short time. While retaining the forms of traditional India music and instruments (tabla, sitar) it combines tastefully with synthesizers, flute and guitar to incorporate themes of current and other cultures, specifically a jazz fusion style reminiscent of Al di Meola, ballads, to name a few, and the color interplay of the drone, highly melodic sitar and tabla, and spirited vocals that carry one away on a sea of pleasant wistful sonority. It reminds of me of being in Australia in 1988 for the Pacific Festival of the Arts and hearing the sitar when Fiji came on, wondering if the south pacific had shifted for a moment! All elements combine to form a holistic and spontaneously joyful music experience. To the extent that the CD cover and music within share these elements, their impact mirrors that of the sort of cultural olympics and realizing that Indian music reaches out far beyond its native land, even in the south pacific. How much the more so with this collection of tunes that embody the timbres of newer electronic instruments and current patterns while remaining true to its original form, distinctly native and embracing accesible trends in a meaningful way. Covering a broad swath, Putumayo once again delivers an important slice of the worlds culture on a disc. How fortunate as only 100 years ago people had to travel miles or be able to perform western music, let alone that from the other side of the world. The only thing I would have added is either a second disc or a companion album of pure Indian music, but that may not be what the label attempts to provide. There are plenty of sources for that, and so Putumayo is unique.

"Putumayo Presents India"
(Putumayo, 2009)
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Not what I would expect from an overview of Indian music, but certainly a change of pace from the standard-issue Bollywood, bhangra and classical ragas we've come to know so well over the years. This is more of a pop-oriented album, but not one of those dreadful electro-dance fusions so often associated with East-West crossovers. This is a delicate, multi-textured album, with a variety of styles and tones, only barely moving into traditional Indian music towards the last few tracks. The various influences reflect the far-flung Indian diaspora, including work by artists such as South African flautist Deepak Ram, and Canada's Kiran Ahluwalia. Also included are a track by A. R. Rahman, who recently won two Oscars for his work on the "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack. After listening to this album a few times, I was won over, although it's still a little on the slick side for my tastes -- nonetheless, it's nice to hear stuff that expands our appreciation of Indian popular music. Worth checking out, particularly if you are looking for something new, smooth and mellow. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To World Music)

Putumayo has yet to put out an album that disappoints me. Every album from the label that I have listened to is pure bliss. PUTUMAYO PRESENTS INDIA is another gem and has quickly become one of my personal favorite albums from Putumayo. I have been on a Indian music binge after falling in love with the soundtrack to SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE so it was obvious that I would gravitate to Putumayo's collection of Indian music. Granted the cd is short and just gives the listener a brief glimpse into India's music. As much as I like bhangra music, I often find the rhythms repetitive so it was to my relief to hear that the music on this compilation is more mellow. One of my personal favorite songs on the cd is "Shiva Panchakshara Stotram/Shiva Shadakshara Stotram" by Uma Mohan. I love the gentle percussion rhythms and Uma's airy vocals. The melodies is quite exquisite. My other favorite song is A.R. Rahmna & Chinmayee's "Tere Bina" from the film GURU. The melodies and vocals is what makes this song so enjoyable for me. I can listen to this wonderful cd without skipping a single song.

I use this for my classroom and the kids love it. Every day I put in a different CD and they always ask what country is this again? They love hearing the cultures around the world. Thanks Putumayo for making these CDs!

There are some wonderfully creative tunes on this album with high quality musicianship throughout. But any of the pure classical or folk styles are completely missing. I am surprised there are no examples of the imitative duets between voice syllables and drums that are so well-known and featured in movies like the original black and white Chori Chori. Some of the most wonderful selections hardly sound Indian at all, but more like softer jazz or relaxed Spanish music. While this CD does not give a great variety of the many styles of authentically ethnic Indian music it is relaxing music at its best.

Putumayo's "India" is a sonic feast. It's like a buffet where one can enjoy tikka masala, biryani, and dal. There's a great variety of artists, mainly with an easy listening focus. It's an acoustic New Age. It blends the classic with the contemporary. It's as soothing as a mango lassi, but as kicky as a curry. The songs range from the devotional to Bollywood, there's even a recipe at the end for a saffron rice pudding with currants and pistachios.

"India" begins with Bombay Jayashri's "Zara Zara",a hypnotic Bollywood song in the Carnatic (Southern) tradition. Niraj Chag and Swati Natekar have a song about longing,"Khwaab" (Dream). Guitarist Sanjay Divecha's "Naino Sey" is comforting. Uma Mohan's chant to Shiva is an unusual highlight. The instrumentation sounds vaguely Celtic, yet the vocals are enchanting and spiritual. Santoor master Satish Vyas with his "Homeward Journey" and flautist Deepak Ram with his "Ganesha" provide relaxing instrumental interludes. AR Rahman's "Tere Bina" (Without You) is meditative compared to the fiery,techno-driven,Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. Canadian sitarist Kiran Ahluwalia contributes an electrifying song about unrequited love,"Vo Kuch." The closing track by Rajeshwari Sachdev is a contemplative,bittersweet song about mothers and daughters.

Putumayo's "India" was released not long after Valentine's Day--quite fitting,since it is the land of the Kama Sutra. The album is a musical feast. It also contributes to a worthy cause- the India Foundation for the Arts, which keeps traditional arts alive in that country among the young. It's hot,tart,sweet and savory!

This cd was actually better than I thought it would be from the samples. It seems two songs short, but, oh well. Very nice mix. If you are familiar with Bollywood/Indian music, you probably will enjoy it. If you are not familiar with Indian music, you may freak out or open up to it with a new appreciation. It is current stuff, not classical, altho some classical influence mixed in.

Sorry to be so negative, but I was SO dissappointed. It's like 'Indian dentists office' music, or Indian elevator music. Horrible. It's got to be the worst parts of westernized music shoved onto vaguely new agey-indian music. I study tabla and love indian music, and i don't even know where they found most of these songs (except Kailash Kher, who is fabulous (look up other stuff by him, though).

I bought this album after going to the Putumayo web site and hearing the featured track of this album on the website. I have since listened to the album 3 times, and I really only like that one track featured on the website. This is track #6, titled Tere Bina, which is from the Bollywood movie "Guru". Overall, a disappointing buy.