Customer Reviews

Voyage to India

5 star:		(115)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

India.Arie came out of nowhere about 18 months ago to capture the ears, and hopes of her listeners with a genuinely original approach to soul music. Using quiet instrumentation amd upbeat heartfelt lyrics, she made a clear impression with her debut. "Voyage To India" confirms that India's approach to music is vital.
This album could be called "Acoustic Soul, Part 2" for there is no clear deviation from the debut. India's songs remain acoustic guitar based, and her lyrics could make up a couple of weeks of "Oprah", but in this case, that is a plus. Listening to a joyful lilt like "Little Things", you are reminded of how great soul music can be. It's a beautiful song, from it's let's keep it simple message through it's borrowing of Rufus's "Hollywood" to lay down an accompanying beat.
"God Is Real" lets India loose on a spiritual jam that is both hummable and intelligent. "Can I Walk With You", the closest thing to a genuine toe-tapper, quietly bops along while offering up praise and inspiration. And "Good Man", a personal favorite, tells a beautiful story of love and rememberence against an acoustic backdrop that is perfect for its lyrics.
India's 2nd album may not suprise you like "Acoustic Soul" did, for other female soulsters have taken up with their guitars in the wake of India's success. But if you enjoy simple, spritual tunes with soft yet smart instrumentation, then this album belongs in your collection.

After hearing "Little Things" (a song that makes you go, of yeah) on the radio, I eagerly anticipated the entire "Voyage" CD.

I can say I instantly liked "Talk to Her" (which is my favorite and "Slow Down". I agree that these songs may come across as preachy, but it's something that many of us may need to hear. So much of today's music doesn't have any message at all, so it's always good to hear a song that does. This is one of the things that I love about Ms. India's music.

Surprisingly, it took me a while to decide what I actually thought of India's sophomore effort, especially given that I still listen to "Acoustic Soul" at least twice a week.

The one thing that I truly like about this CD is that India is doing her own thing and doing it different than she did it before. I believe this is another showcase of her talent, a true artist (which we don't see many of these days). Now that I've listened to this several times I can say it is a "Beautiful Surpise" (which is also another great song on the CD).

It's different from Acoustic, but a very welcomed addition to my CD collection.

I must admit I love India.arie. Her voice, mind, and soul are natural beauties. Her debut, "Acoustic Soul" was a refreshing blend of old-school soul with some jazzy and newer production qualities. What struck me was her honesty and the fact that the music was so real! She writes her own stuff, plays guitar, and, man, does she sing! When she got the recognition she deserved with 7 Grammy nods, I had hope for the music industry. When she went home empty-handed I couldn't help feeling for her, she's so down to earth and thru that I felt like she was a friend of mine. The strength that she has displayed is unbelievable. With "Voyage to India" she sill remains true to herself. The album's sound is more complex and her vocals are plain amazing. The first issued single "Little Things" is pure ear candy and carries a message without forcing it upon the listener. It is probably refering to the Grammy's almost rejection of her. The three interludes are like poems that strig the voyage together. My other favorites are 'Talk to Her' (almost a jam with solid vocals), 'Slow Down' (I think it's the most pop track on the album, very infectious), 'Can I Walk with You' (very sweet, but keeps it real), 'The One' (I like the LA LALA LALA LA thing), 'Complicated Melody' (it's so earthy and ORIGINAL)...GOD! I like all the tracks! They all have a great honosty and beat to them. India is here to stay and has truly grown on this release (even though its been like a year since her last). I highly recommend this album to any soul or quiet storm fan. If you're new to India, her first is a better intro, this is her voyage's continuation; lets hope it keeps going! INDIA.ARIE deserved a whole lot of respect for preserving her integrity and sharing her talent with the world!

Voyage to India is the name of India.Aire's sophmore album and there is definitely no sophmore jinx this time around. The title comes from a song of the same name written by Stevie Wonder (India's most oft noted muse) that appeared on Stevie's much acclaimed, but less well known double LP entitled Journey Through The Secret Lives of Plants. The song, a simple Stevie instrumental, taken from a soundtrack for a film that never materialized brought India to tears the first time she heard it at the age of 18. And it is with the profoundness of that moment and the sheer respect for the art of music that India releases this album.

India gets away with a lot of things that other artists don't and I can only assume it is because of her sincerity. For instance, this album stays in the vein of Acoustic Soul musically and never relies on heavy studio produced sound. One gets the impression that this whole album could be played live and remain extremely faithful to the original. But where other soul musicians would be marginalized as to folksy for attempting such pared down production, it is okay for India because even without a thumping hard driving bassline, the listener wants to dance and celebrate right along with the music. There is something about her music that is still lush and full and satisfying.

India.Aire also gets away with espousing her philosophy on almost every track. Where others may get attacked for being preachy, India comes off as an old soul that has experienced quite a bit and deserves our respect and attention. As for India's philosophy its a dash of new age spirituality, a touch of good old fashioned southern fried wisdom, and a heaping helping of personal experience. Perhaps it is her eternally optimistic outlook and repeated gratitude for all things small and large throughout this album that really captures the listener. This album WILL get a lot of folks through some hard times with love and with life. Its not modern philosophy...but it is practical wisdom that we all need a little to hear again from time to time.

I cannot give the album five stars because it is just too new. Perhaps I will decide that is indeed classic material at a later date, but there is one flaw. I hate to compare this album to Acoustic Soul, but there seems to be less of the musical diverstiy this time out. I mean India has a monopoly on beautiful tracks laced with acoustic strumming and deft, yet modest keyboards, but it gets slightly monotonous from time to time. Luckily, India has drawn more heavily from the funky bassline and creative drum patterns that showed up on just a few tracks on the last album. So I will say that this album grooves more than one might expect of and India.Aire album with less of the folksiness of the past.

India ties the album together with three short interludes titled 'Growth', 'Healing', and 'Gratitude'. And in three words, this really represents the direction the album goes in lyrically. India is growing in her comfort with expressing herself, growing in her spirit, and growing as an artist. The album itself is like a healing ritual in that each song offers a little salve for life's ups and downs and the struggles that sometimes feel too overwhelming, but turn out to be our greatest blessings. Speaking of blessings, its obvious that India is thankful for her obvious blessings, but even the difficult lessons that made her the person she is.

I hate to try to pick favorite tracks on this one. I think each song is going to touch certain people differently. It's the kind of album that strikes a chord with many, but some songs are just going to have more personal meaning. 'Little Things' starts off the album with a funky little beat interpolated from the classic track 'Hollywood' by Rufus and Chaka Khan. Later on in the album India really finds her stride writing beautifully crafted lyrics about love. 'The Truth' is a celebration og a man and the unconditional love she has developed for him. The following track 'Beautiful Surprise' seems to be prequel to 'The Truth' giving us a story of how that unconditional love came to be. They probably should have been sequenced differently on the album but both tracks are worth abusing the rewind button. The album shifts back to the upbeat fare musically with a little Latin flavor on the ode to spiritual growth, 'Headed in the Right Direction'. But India saves her biggest feat for the end of the album pulling a hat trick with the final three tracks. 'Good Man' finds a jubilant reason to celebrate life even in death. 'God is Real' is an answer to any agnostic or atheists ranting about the absence of God. And the final track 'Interested' is a foot stomping, hand clapping affair-so simple but yet such a fitting way to close the album that has covered so much ground with so much depth.

Hopefully, the guys who vote on the Grammies will get it right this year because India.Aire has done it again. Voyage to India is wa onderful strange trip that this reviewer ceases to grow tired of.

I really wanted to like this album as I bought it the first day it came out. I bought it...and also got two bonus tracks "Butterfly" and "Christmas Song" (for a total of 18) on this version. I'm very sorry to say that India's sophomore effort is jinxed. I have listened to it carefully about five times and nothing really stands out. The tracks become monotonous because the production is weak and the lyrics are extraordinarily sappy and preachy. The best song India has done aside from her first album is "Butterfly." This song stood out on the Red Star Sounds compilation album. Sadly, this song is rehashed on this album but this version completely destroyed the beauty of the original. Instead of a strong, punctuating beat to accompany some good lyrics from the original, the new version slows to a crawl and never builds the momentum of the original. The Christmas Song with Stevie Wonder is nothing more than filler.

India's messages just do not resonate with me on this album. She actually seemed more mature and realistic on her first album, while this album is very idealistic and overly positive.

Hopefully she will make more classics like Brown Skin, Back to the Middle, Video, and Nature in the future.

let me say this right off the bat:
she got four stars from me strictly because she gives me somethin new to lissen to! (and that is no longer even true because i gave this cd to a friend of mine as a house warming present!)
but i'm "ranting"... not "hating"...
this disc isnt bad... it starts off slow with the first song but picks up rather nicely. i was actually quite happy with the music... toe-tappin & finga snappin ensued...
but sista india does do that "lauryn hill thing" and get a bit gratuitous with her righteousness... BUT THAT'S HER THANG YALL so dont ack like you didnt know...
some of the lyrics i actually like better than her first album, it's just after awhile it's all the same message - not that the message is a bad one/it just sounds like this shoulda been made by an 'arie-wannabe' and not by the up-and-coming queen herself...
as a fan, i just hafta hold out until she finds her voice in variety while still maintaining the vision she has for herself...

four stars is generous, but still this effort is stronger than three...

A While ago, when India.arie debuted with her "Acoustic Soul" album, she immediately rose to the top of the neo-soul genre. I quickly went out to get the album, and was impressed. She then went on to get 7 grammy nominations, only to be shut out with none. Then there was news of her releasing her second album. I was under the impression that her second album would be better than the debut. Well maybe the grammys affected her in some ways, because "Voyage To India", was in a few cases, a major disappointment. Although all the songs have brilliantly written lyrics, the music to the songs don't seem to grab you like "Acoustic Soul". There are a few that grab you right away (Talk To Her, The Truth, Good Man), while others force you to wait for the bridge to get some good flow (Little Things, The One, Headed In The Right Direction). Also, on Voyage, India tends to repeat the chorus over and over. While her soulful voice does make the chorus work, on occasions, i felt myself needing to press the skip track button (ex: Can I Walk With You). Although i was somewhat disappointed on some occasions, i was also surprised at times. Songs like "Good Man" really surprised me, with a nice flow, a simple beat, incredible lyrics, and just the focus of the song. "The Truth" is a sort of a tribute song to her (current) lover, Musiq Soulchild. "Talk To Her" is a song about treating woman fairly, a "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" song, but in a soulful, more lecturing perspective.

Overall, i didn't find Voyage ground breaking or incredible. I felt India.arie didn't really focus on the whole album. You might find yourself skipping a few tracks due to slowness. You also might find yourself thinking that "Voyage" was just a collection of songs that didn't make it to "Acoustic". This voyage leaves you feeling like your stranded...

I'm still having high hopes for her 3rd album...

[Beats 70/100]
[Lyrics 85/100]
[Flow 70/100]
[Originality 75/100]
[Overall 70/100]

Listening to something new by India Arie - Jordan - she's is one of the most mellow, peace-flowing sisters with the power to persuade. I literally have given her music away as much as I love her and want to share her - ain't that a God thang? You can listen to her at nite while resting, during the day while working, you can listen to her with your granny or with your man and get something out of it each time. Universal, non-controversial, life transforming everything good and perfect she has allowed to flow from her to us and back again! If you have not picked up any of her CD's then you've missed you!
Jeri of Dayton OH'
asistahontheway!

More like India.Keys. Okay, I bought this album expecting it to measure up to Acoustic Soul, one of my all-time favorite recordings in any category of organized sound. I should have known that you can't improve on the Mona Lisa. If you want to hear her in a more "mainstream R&B setting," complete with secondhand Timb-style beats (drummer Forrest Robinson is woefully underutilized here--shame, shame) and samples of giggling babies, go for it. You'll probably love it. But, short of maybe 3 or 4 great tracks, everything that made her music stand out in the first place is downplayed in favor of sounding more Grammy-ready, like...say...Alicia Keys? There's nothing here nearly as honest or soul-wrenching as "Simple," "Brown Skin," "Ready For Love," "Always In My Head" or really anything on the first disc. What can I say? I'm just not really feeling it as strong this time. Bottom line is, nice album--India fans grab it anyway--but I just I hope she takes a real sharp left next time around, 'sayin'?

I listen to this cd almost everyday and never get sick of it. i love all the songs and give everything a ten! she is one of my true heros