Aradhna - Marga Darshan

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Regular readers of Cross Rhythms may well remember that we praised Aradhna’s previous ‘Deep Jale’ as one of the greatest world music albums ever. Now comes this stunning followup from the American-born sons of missionaries to India. Their groundbreaking album clearly demonstrated that Christopher Hale’s sinuously wistful voice was able to handle the atonal complexities of the rich vistas of Indian music while Peter Hicks’ deft guitar work slotted in beautifully with ethnic Asian rhythms. Now a new East meets West confidence and greater textural resonance (brought, presumably, by more studio time) takes ‘Marga Dashan’ to the next level. Just listen to “Jaago Logo” and the way Hasan Ali Khan’s wailing vocal over crunching rock guitars works so brilliantly. Or catch the way that haunting chorus by the OM Wazir Hasan Singers takes “Yeshu Leeje” to vistas of sublime worship. It doesn’t matter if you speak not a word of Hindi (English translations are thoughtfully provided in the CD booklet), or if you’ve never previously ventured far beyond the musical strongholds of Brighton and Nashville, here is the perfect album to start expanding your musical horizons. Breathtaking.