Beyond Skin [Import]

I didn't know quite what to expect when my friend, a promoter in Europe, gave me Nitin's CD this summer. As a lover of Moby, Massive Attack, and Kruder & Dorfmeister, this CD is truly one of my most exciting additions this year.

This album blends the rich and exotic sounds of India with the beats of UK Underground. Beyond Skin taps into hip-hop, ethnic, drum and base, r&b/jazz, and the songs are accompanied by a variety of different male and female vocals.

A contemporary medley beautifully put together with good lyrics. You wont regret buying this one.

- Enjoy

I first bought Nitin Sawhney's "Prophesy" album and felt it was OK (3 stars), but held off on buying anymore of Nitin's albums. What a mistake! I should have started with this one (Beyond Skin). Honestly, I can say that there is not a single song I don't like on this CD (thus, the 5 star rating). He blends Indian instruments and voices so well with all types of dance beats and base lines that it doesn't even sound like fusion, but just a new type of music. While I like all of the songs, the ones that stand out are "Letting Go", "Homelands", "Tides", "Nadia" (which Jeff Beck also did a version of on the slide guitar on his album), "Serpents", "Nostalgia", "Beyond Skin" (haunting guitar plus vocal part at the end). See, now that's alot of good songs on one album. The rest are also good, but, they take some time to grow on you. They also fit well with the theme of the album which seems to be something about Nitin discovering his identity (English vs. Indian). I'm kind of glad I heard it 5 years after it was released because pop music is just really bad right now and I needed something to remind me how good music can be.

Nitin Sawhney- Beyond Skin (Outcaste) Caste9cd I have been waiting for quite some time for this release. Sawhney, like Talvin Singh, is one of a handful of musicians of English Asian backgrounds which spring to mind, who successfully manage to cross eastern and western musical cultures, and make them sound interesting. Sawhney is somewhat more melodic to my ears though, which is not to lessen the value of someone like Talvin Singh, who seems to have an infinite supply of energy and ideas pouring out of him, and last year released the more than excellent OK. Like Singh, Sawhney is coming to terms with the fact that he is caught between a rock and a hard place. Born in the UK, but with an Indian heritage, this is Sawhney facing his own demons and pasts, realizing that before you change the world, you really need to change yourself. Thus Beyond Skin is a stunning combination of flamenco, Indian vocals, qawwali, soul, at times drums n' bass / rap spoken words and jazz. The vocalists are first rate, contributions by Sanchita Faruque, as well as Tina Grace, Jayanta Bose. Percussionist Steve Shehan turns up on a number of tracks as well. Ronu Majamba supplies some of the nicest flute playing heard in ages. Sawhney's work is first rate, the rhythms and gentle melodies are more than happening, Sawhney again displaying his talents on various instruments. Unlike Sawhney's previous three releases, this is 'in feel' somewhat more of a commercial affair. It's all so smooth and free flowing, the way a Sade album might be. Hell, even my wife likes it, and she normally has opposing tastes in music. But let's not nit pick. When push comes to shove the album is an emotionally charged tour de force, and possibly his finest moment to date. Hypnotic and arresting, these are beautifully cerebral soundings of a multicultural nature. One of the themes here is the fact that India does have the bomb, and are happy to use it. Something Sawhney, and anyone with an iota of grey matter between their ears, should be concerned with. In fact the album starts with Indian PM Vajpayee proudly announcing the detonation of three nuclear weapons back in 1998, and ends with Oppenheimer, one of it's creators reading from the Bhagavad Gita " Now I become death, the destroyer of worlds" , remorseful for the monster which he helped unleash. "Nostalgia" sums it up for this listener, Sawhney paying respect to his elders and I assume heritage. " Dreams, dreams, dreams, dreams I can't feel your dreams I can't see you I can't touch your memories but I can hear you. " or as Spek raps on The Pilgrim..."life is like a puzzle not pieced yet." This is Sawhney at his most personal yet, and despite that 'commercial sound" I vote this in my top three for the year. Truly rewarding for those intereste in the future of so called Asian musics.

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