Heart and SoulAlbum review by Daniel TuckerDecember 29, 2011Kirtan in the West is a rapidly evolving sacred music. It's roots stretch back to ancient Indian chanting of sanskrit mantras containing the names of God. And yet it's branches reach out with fresh growth each year, as new generations of musicians employ their creativity in the service of the divine vibrations of kirtan. It was only recently that mantras began to grace western recordings. In the 70's and 80's, George Harrison planted seeds of kirtan by incorporating mantras into his songwriting, most famously with his song of devotion "My Sweet Lord" culminating in the joyous repetition of the Hare Krishna mantra. In the 90's, chant music really took root when Krishna Das began recording albums of entirely kirtan music, with rhythmic underpinnings from rock and world music. In the 2000's, kirtan blossomed into a substantial genre of music, with many world-class musicians such as Jai Uttal, Deva Premal, Snatam Kaur, and Dave Stringer joining Krishna Das in creating full kirtan music albums with various blends of musical elements from rock, jazz, soul, Indian music, and other world musics. In the 2010's, we are getting a thrilling infusion of kirtan nectar from the Hare Krishna community, with Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits, the Mayapuris, and the Kirtaniyas dancing onto the scene with their Bengali-style mridangas and kartals, and myriad mahamantra melodies.
The album continues to eb and flow through the many moods of kirtan - sweet delight in the name, passionate longing for the divine, the wistfulness of a violin here, the energetic pulse of a mridanga there. By the final track, "Gopi Lullaby," I'm very ready to rest with a smile in the lush river of drones and delectable bhajan lyrics that, for now at least, only my heart understands. Gratitude for this music melts into gratitude for life, as Sarasvati's voice fades away, leaving a sparkling trail of tamboura drones buzzing in my imagination... |
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The latest album in this vein is the Kirtaniyas' "Heart and Soul," released in December 2011 by a talented young quartet of bhakti yogis led by kirtan wallah Vijay Krsna. The album begins with a meandering introduction, a musical sunrise invoking the sounds of an Indian village temple. Male and female voices enter in sweet somber unison, beautifully invoking Sri Radha and Sri Krishna. Soon the heartbeat of the mridanga drum leaps to life and band is singing "Radha Ramanda Haribol" in joyous response to Vijay Krsna's lead vocals. As the rhythm gradually escalates, the harmonium leaps to life, supporting the melody and spicing up the rhythm with Qawwali-style syncopated chords. As the kirtan reaches it's ecstatic climax, the lead vocal is passed between band members. This is characteristic of the inclusive, community-oriented, Hare Krishna kirtan style that does not seek to glorify a single musician's virtuosity, but rather to employ all the musical skills of the gathered sangha in the communal praise of Radha Krishna.