Shabda : शब्द

Musical pictures are discovered consequently and figuratively in chronological order in the poem, each of them has its own meaning. The composition is opened with “Pagan Russia” showing the listeners pictures of wide steppes of old Russian Land. Unusual timbres of ancient wind instruments – ocarinas together with muffled sounds of kettle drums as background music, bring your mind to old times.

Infused with haunting vocals and lush grooves, Mercy Songs merges Tibetan Buddhist mantras, Latin Christian church hymns and ancient Vedic chants into a single songbook of devotion.

Given the CD bears the name of a Buddhist monastery, one would naturally conclude that the tracks are dominated by chanting, but this isn’t the case. The mantras themselves are almost incidental, merely adding an exotic touch to what is otherwise very Western music dominated by English lyrics. The disc has definitely been engineered for the Western ear. Although we tend to associate Tibetan chanting with resonating throat singing, the mantras are, with one or two exceptions, performed in normal voice. In fact, the producers point out on the CD sleeve that the music and melodies are not used in daily rituals as the monastery observes tradition strictly.

Unforgettable Sufis brings together the eternal poetry of mystic poets, Kabir Sahib and Hazrat Amir Khusrau. The evocative lyrics drawn from their poetry explore the myriad shades of love and spell the rich experience of musical ecstasy. The most fascinating aspect is that these renditions are blend with the melody of Indian Classical music, making this album a timeless gift of love for the yearning souls who long to be in communion with the divine.

In most musical instruments the resonator is made of wood while the actual sound generator is of animal origin. In cultures where music is still used as a magical force, the making of an instrument always involves the sacrifice of a living being. That being’s soul then becomes part of the instrument and in the tones that come forth, the ‘singing dead,’ who are ever present with us, make themselves heard.

In essence, this album can be attributed to the genre of New Age and World Music, But the mantras that chanting in this album (and here not only sloka quoted from the Vedas, but also contains verses from the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads) – so organically woven into the musical accompaniment that sense of reality, or so-called modernity – just lost.

The album Chants for Children is, for those not very quick on the uptake, an album of chants for children. The collection claims to include the most essential Hindu mantras that have to be recited on a daily basis. It is marketed as the perfect guide for every child who needs a lesson in the basic mantras that govern our daily living.