Customer Reviews

Yatra

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Kailash Kher's "Yatra (Nomad Souls)" is a phenomenal album. In India, Kher is a celebrity; his Bollywood songs and commercial jingles are renowned; he's a judge on Indian Idol. In a sense, Kher is the Indian subcontinent's Susan Boyle. He's homely, yet he has an angelic voice. He's been deemed an heir to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; Oscar-winning Indian composer AR Rahman Slumdog Millionaire admires him.

"Yatra" finally brings Kher's entrancing music to the US. His music is a blend of Hindu/Sufi/Sikh devotional music,New Age,and reggae. There's easy listening, there are Bollywood tunes,nods to Middle Eastern music. Quite intoxicating. There's the passion of "Dilruba (Beloved)" and "Guru Ghantal"--the latter being a devotional to Shiva,the Hindu god of destruction. "Tauba Tauba (Mercy Mercy Me)" sounds more like it's from Baghdad than Bombay. "Bheeg Gaya Mera Maan (Cheerapunjee)" evokes the Indian state of Meghalaya,the wettest place on Earth with its near-constant rain (sorry,TWILIGHT fans,it's not an ode to Forks,Washington) "Piya Ghar Aavenge (My Love is Coming Home)" is a hypnotic,entrancing piece. It's bittersweet since it reminds Kher of his father who died last year. His father,a Hindu priest,chanted prayers as he passed away. "Rang Rang Me (Painted in my shade)" sounds like a jazzy,Indian-flavored American Top 40 song. In this case,it's a compliment,since it's a groovy,fun song. It's a praise to India that is at once profoundly Indian and radio-friendly. Then again,Kher is a Randy Jackson/Simon Cowell in his homeland. The joyous "Jhoom Re (Dance with me)" tackles serious issues with the chorus "the clerics pretend (to pray) five times a day but the lives of lovers are the purest prayers." The final two songs "Teri Deewani (Your Insanity)" and "Joban Chaalke (Overflowing Beauty)" are more acoustic and contemplative. The unplugged songs are jewels---so forget diva Katy Perry's attempt to sing without the help of technology MTV Unplugged (CD & DVD) Kher's voice soars. He shows his tremendous range and talent.

Kher can also be heard on the compilation Putumayo Presents: India singing "Naino Sey." Surprisingly,the comp doesn't mention this album. He's as capable of a quiet acoustic piece as he is of a rollicking Bollywood playback tune. Kher's liner notes are insightful and beautiful.

"Yatra" is one of the best albums of 2009. It's a savory Indian buffet!

His folksy voice married to Bollywood style music production yields a very enjoyable collection of songs. A must try if you want a taste of some folk sounds from north-west India fused with some western beats. It has some sufi gems that will just immerse you in sufi spirit and touch you in depths you don't know you have.

This is an excellent CD; highly recommended! The vocals are "dead on" and the music intoxicating!

I bought this cd after having only heard Kailash Kher's Bollywood songs and was extremely surprised and pleased with the diversity of the instrumentation
and music styles on this cd. The musicians are as good as Kailash Kher's singing and the whole package is really great.

I have every song this man has ever released and can't get enough of his music. His music is simply amazing, awe-inspiring and emotionally moving! He is probably the best Indian singer to rise to the scene in the last decade!

I heard one song from this album on Tucson's 93.1 FM KXCY Radio (can't remember the exact show...love the station BTW) and bought the album right away expecting something more true to the description; more authentic traditional music and less cheesy synthesized world music. Unfortunately, this album seemed like the latter to me. Don't buy it based on one tune. Some might really like it of course, in which case you can buy my copy. I'm probably too lazy to sell it, but otherwise I would, asap.