Music Review: Dreaming in Sanskrit by Marti Nikko and DJ Drez The first time I heard Marti Nikko sing, I was in savasana. Micheline Berry was teaching and DJ Drez (Nikko’s husband and frequent collaborator) spinning. I was struck by the resonance, melody, and powerful vibration of a voice that reached beyond the studio. Every time [...]
Universal Light Remixes (From The Unchanging), Donna De Lory CD Review De Lory Music Donna De Lory is a strong presence in both the pop and world music scenes; her initial career boost came as a hard-working back-up singer for Madonna before taking off as a pop star in her own right. After some successful [...]
Doorways to the Infinite By Sally Kempton Sounds True Since the advent of the Internet, spiritual information is prolifically available. Discerning fools-gold from precious alloy takes a level of clarity only honed by deep inner work. What really liberates us from our own conditioned ways of living as small, separate, and incomplete? How do we [...]
Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band White Swan Records I fell in love with kirtan late in my practice. It was within the expansive studio of the Santa Barbara Yoga Center, not long after Hurricane Katrina. Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band were touring to raise funds to rebuild their hometown when [...]
By Daphne Tse Daphne Tse Music Daphne Tse is a firmly established singer/songwriter in the international kirtan and festival scene. Her new album, Finding Water, is likely the first-ever fusion of kirtan, Hawaiian rhythms and contemporary original music and it is a winning blend! Daphne has drawn together traditional Hawaiian slack key guitar, ukulele, and lap steel sounds [...]
By Nirinjan Kaur Spirit Voyage The mysterious power of sacred Naam, the sound current of the ocean of consciousness, is reflected powerfully in Nirinjan Kaur’s voice. She is accompanied here by Matthew Schoening and Ram Dass Khalsa: these musicians open your heart to a world of shabads in the Gurmukhi language along with ancient sacred [...]
GuruGanesha Band Spirit Voyage Records Yogi Bhajan said that inside each human being is a light that is brighter than a thousand suns. His lectures inspired many songs and his messages set the vibration for this powerful, intuitive series of mantras. GuruGanesha Singh and Paloma Devi combine their hypnotic and stunning vocals with the mesmerizing [...]
Brenda McMorrow White Swan Records Brenda McMorrow’s Igniting the Beauty captures the sweetness of the sacred sound experience. The title itself speaks to the unique beauty we all embody, the beauty that ignites our heart fire when we chant and sing mantras. Igniting the Beauty has a variety of moods and feelings. Brenda approaches “Ganesha [...]
Steven Chesne with The Luminous World Orchestra Brahmasong Records Listening to this CD, you feel as if you are ensconced in a film. Musical swells and orchestral instrumentation are layered to create cycles of tension and release. What strikes me upon my first listen of Moments from the Life Stories of Strangers, Part One by [...]
Black Swan Records Using a combination of sounds from hip hop, dub, rap, reggae and Sanskrit mantras to lace together themes of change, awareness, and breaking boundaries, Srikala delivers an album of conscious messages with a captivating mainstream sound. Srikaloy’s New Paradigm is on the crest of a new wave of what is considered to [...]