Salt Rain. . - Music - sound recording review

New Internationalist, Nov, 2001 by Louise Gray

By Susheela Raman

(Narada World 72438-50955 CD)

There's a special luminosity about Susheela Raman's debut album that's hard to locate in any one aspect. Is it the way that the young singer-writer has woven traditional tunes and mantras from southern India? Or the subtle atmospherics with which guitarist and producer Sam Mills imbues Salt Rain? Or, perhaps, the spot-on, highly intuitive band, who bring Arabic, African and Asian tones into the mix? Wherever the charge of Salt Rain may lie, it's clear that its author is a star in the making.

After a training in Indian classical music and Tamil folk song, Raman discovered that she had a taste for the blues, and it's these two different traditions that make Salt so wonderful. It kicks off with 'Ganapti', a Sanskrit meditation on Ganesh and one's s immediately aware of the beautiful languidity of Raman's voice. It slips over the. lyrics, even as some slithery cello and a hot-weather percussion and acoustic guitar strive to hold it down. On 'Maya', the band break into a sensual skank rhythm, a klezmer feel suggested in Manos Achalinopoulos' clarinet. The album breaks roughly between arrangements of traditional Indian works and the band's own songs.

There are points of surprise, as on '0 Rama' where a Marley-influenced space opens up, thanks in part to Ayub Ogagda's guest vocals. Percussionists Djanuno Dabo, Aref Durvesh and Hossam Ramzi deserve special mentions, as does cellist Vincent Segal. But the sheer pleasure is listening to Raman's effortless improvisations: she slides from English into Hindi, Tamil and Sanskrit, firing 'syllables with the ease of a Sheila Chandra. The album's title track displays the loose, but finely focused talents in all their splendour. An absolute winner

RATING *****

STAR RATING

EXCELLENT *****

VERY GOOD ****

GOOD ***

FAIR **

POOR *