Customer Reviews

Roots & Wings

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Over the last few years I've become somewhat saturated in East-Indian influenced music. For the longest time, my personal favorite was Peter Gabriel's "Passion" (the soundtrack to Last Temptation). I'm into everything from Ar Rahman and Jai Uttal to Krishna Das, Joi, and Bally Sagoo (for those of you who want to try Bally Sagoo, get Ballywood Flashback II...I heard this while walking along a street in Toronto and bought it on the spot. Bhangra is SO cool!)But the best of the best, I have to say, is Sheila Chandra. Specifically, "Roots & Wings." Her voice is other-worldly and is supported by waves of tablas, congas, gongs, bells, zings, drones...An amazing album to have sex to....Astonishingly good. I also enjoy "A Bone Crone Drone" and the western-influenced "Monsoon," but "Roots & Wings" stands waaaay above them both.

Both haunting and exhilarating. Very rich and spiritually connected. A lovely blend of modern and traditional music that is remenicent of both Celtic and Eastern melodies. Very inspirational.

Being an early fan of "raga-rock" and other eastern-type music years ago, I had since left it for more acoustic pop stylings. A few years ago I walked into the Borders in Minneapolis with my wife and when I sat down to read some books, I was totally mesmerized by the chants drifting over the speakers, practically lifting me up out of my chair and inviting me on a journey of exploration. Sort of a truthfulness I hadn't been aware of. I HAD to have the album! It was Shelia's 'Roots and Wings' - and I play it at home still whenever I have the chance.

It's outstanding background music for relaxing, letting the bonds of time just slip away (seriously..). Obviously this may sound "new ageish", but even from my Christian viewpoint, it's still a delightful trip for the senses.

Sheila Chandra's Roots and Wings is an eclectic album, made up of tracks that cycle in and out and reflect where she had been, where she was, and where she would soon be going. She includes alternate versions of two tracks here, with each version sounding totally different than the others. In one, we hear traditional Indian music; in another, a modern, worldbeat mix of sampling and production; in yet another, a gentle blend of them all. Chandra seemed to be at the crossroads and cannot seem to decide which road to take. Therefore, she takes them all.
The results of this are mixed, but the disc is still worthy simply because the good tracks are very, very good. One and Lament of McCrimmon/Song of the Banshee point us towards the future of Chandra's music, and are wonderfully inviting. The Slagverks mix of The Struggle is another standout, with Chandra's vocal abilities front and center, astounding us with her fluidity in phrasing what is basically the percussion line, made up of traditional instrumentation, that kicks into the track and propels it forward with a modern edge.
However, some of the offerings sound unfinished, and to repeat some tracks in a different form is interesting and creative, but it would have been nicer to have other, more completed tunes.
However, Chandra manages to keep the listener coming back for more, giving us what amounts to a small taste of her incredible talents, which would be more fully explored and displayed on the brilliant ABoneCroneDrone a few years later.

The lovely enchantress Sheila Chandra uses her incredible voice as a vehicle transporting the listener to another time, another place. Mystical, ethereal she slowly hypnotizes her passengers with repetition of sounds and phrases, like a holy mantra with no beginning and no end.

Truly a voyage of wonder and discovery awaits the listener. Turn down the lights, rest comfortably and close your eyes. Welcome to the 'World within the Voice.'

One of my favorite Sheila albums. It's half good, and half amazing. And even the good can be amazing at times.

For example... this is going to sound weird, but I especially enjoy how she suffocates you in a boring 6 1/2 minutes on track 10, with occasional small gasps of melodic air... and then at the end cuts loose with 50 seconds of melody that's like pure oxygen, followed by a etheric voice and drone closing track 11.

I have quite a few Sheila CDs. I consider this, ABoneCroneDrone, and the Moonsung compilation to be my favorites.

Never having experienced Chandra before this was a great first taste and I will purchase more of her music. This recording sounds as if an Indian princess listen to Jean Michael-Jarre's Zoolook and any of Laurie Anderson's recordings and then got caught up in the spirit. I did feel like I was taken to a lovely world of Indian exotica.

Chandra's voice is excuisite with an amazing range and variety of song types to keep one's attention. There are tracks with lyrical and luscious orchestrations and one or two which seem to be exercises in regional meditation. I am not familiar with the cultural traditions that may be reprented in this album but the musicality is terrific. I am thoroughly enjoying this music.

In my opinion, this is one of Sheila Chandra's best albums. Each of the cuts conveys her unique style and transports you to another world. A must-have for Sheila Chandra fans!

Never having experienced Chandra before this was a great first taste and I will purchase more of her music. This recording sounds as if an Indian princess listen to Jean Michael-Jarre's Zoolook and any of Laurie Anderson's recordings and then got caught up in the spirit. I did feel like I was taken to a lovely world of Indian exotica.