Deva Premal & Miten with Manose
Songs for The Sangha
White Swan Records
Deva Premal and Miten, partners in music and life for over 20 years, return with their new release Songs for The Sangha– their first since 2014’s Mantras for Peace. This new album showcases their reverent interpretations of sacred mantras, along with the blending of those mantras with western-influenced song structures with vocals in English – all laid over the foundation of complimentary musical exploration.
Sangha sees them work with frequent colleague and Nepalese bansuri flute master Manose, who lends vocals and the delicate and playful weaving of his bamboo flute sounds into many of the tracks. This album introduces the musicality of producer, bass player, and drummer Joby Baker and keyboardist Spencer Cozens, whose grooves integrate effortlessly and hypnotically with ancient mantras.
The songs offer the listener musical variety, from sparse percussion to percussion-free musical beds that offer the space for Manose’s flute and Deva’s angelic and reverent vocals to soar. The album showcases playful, sway-inducing reggae beats that support the alternation between Sanskrit mantra and English chorus without veering off the pulsing groove. This band sounds like they are long-time collaborators – infusing beautiful textures from a variety of cross-cultural influences to create spacious, ethereal, soothing, and hypnotic music for their Sangha – the spiritual community. This album is definitely a worthy celebration of spirit.
Reviewed by Joe Kara, who loves his double life working in music and teaching Yoga in Hollywood and the Valley. And he plays bass, too. Facebook/ Twitter. @JJKara
Joe Kara enjoys a double life working in music and teaching Yoga in Hollywood and the Valley. He plays a little bass, too. @JoeKaraYoga