CD Review – River of Light, by Ashana

What's remarkable about this album is that while it is pretty much entirely devoted to Indian religious traditions, it is accessible to diverse tastes in new age and world music.

Ashana plays crystal singing bowls and sings both Indian and English lyrics. However, her vocal style is very Western, especially with accompaniment on bass, keyboards, and vocals by co-composer and producer Thomas Barquee and acoustic and electric guitars by Simone Sello. Ethnic accents are provided by Sheila Bringhi on flute and Neelamjit Dhillon on tabla.

The result is a dynamic cultural exchange of music that makes the best of both worlds available for the enjoyment of all.

--Raj Manoharan