BAGESHREE

'Ragas, film songs: she sings 'em all'

This is the third album from Indo-Canadian dancer and singer Bageshree Vaze, following on from 'Bageshree' and 'Tarana.' All three draw on the same combination of devotional song and dance, moving between bhajans, film music and tarana (compositions associated with dance and incorporated recited syllables). It is perhaps her ability to move between genres, and Hindustani and Karnatic styles, that is so impressive, particularly when combined with a contemporary sensibility that never spills over into being bland or overly derivative; in other words, she is firmly planted in a tradition and uses this to explore from, rather than adopting a pick'n'mix approach which is so often unsatisfactory.
She puts her powerful voice to good effect in the first two tracks ('Jaya Shankara' and 'Ganesh'), both devotional songs, and continues in similar vein with 'Garjat Barsat,' a 60s film song. Immediately, it's possible to hear a little of the spirit of Hariprasad Chaurasia in the Bansuri (flute) playing of Ajay Prasanna, which dominates much of the disc.
She contributes three of her own compositions, and all pay homage to the dance music to which she feels so connected. The first of these, in particular, has some impressive tabla playing by Vineet Vyas. Ending the disc is a remix of the opening track, and here we find some of the wash of background electronics that characterised her first two releases. In general, however, in much of the disc this is not as prominent, giving the tracks a more traditional feel. - Songlines