Sushma Soma with Aditya Prakash/ Home

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Sushma Soma with Aditya Prakash/ Home

Genre: Carnatic/ crossover 

Label: Self-released 

Rating: *****

Indian musicians have often been inspired by the themes of nature and environment. In the recent past, there have been some fresh approaches too. If Grammy-winning conposer Ricky Kej has used them regularly as motifs, we now have Singapore-based vocalist Sushma Soma doing her own take on the subject.

Her second album Home, a follow-up to the well-received recording Sa, appropriately begins with a track called 'Nature'. In association with Aditya Prakash, who's produced the album, she uses raag Hansadhwani and the great Subramanya Bharti's lyrics to describe the human relationship with nature. Beginning with multi-layered voice textures, the piece has a masterly handpan by Manu Delago.

Like 'Nature', the other six tunes are rooted in Indian tradition, with Sushma's Carnatic upbringing used eloquently. Yet, there's a certain innovation and contemporariness in the compositions and variety in styles that makes this a concept album with a difference. The use of three languages - Tamil, Sanskrit and Hindi - adds to the balance of the mix.

A prime example is the way a Muthuswamy Dikshitar creation has been adapted and embellished with whistles, a children's choir and foreign-accented spoken voices on the two-part 'Man', which describes the casual approach of people towards nature. The reference to 'Lobha Krodha Moha Mada' (Greed, anger, delusion, arrogance) is just apt.

Sushma's voice has just that right amount of aesthetically-appealing quiver, making it sound very natural during the gradual build-up of 'Maa', which pays tribute to 'Ma dhara, Vasundhara' (Mother Earth), and the pathos-filled Pilu composition 'Grief', written in Hindi by Subhash Bose, using lines like "Janam janam ki maili chaadar, kaise daag chhudaoon".

One of the most impactful numbers is 'The Elephant's Funeral', written in reaction to the death of a pregnant elephant fed with a pineapple containing explosives. The vocals, which uses lyrics from a Tamil song by Neelakantan Sivan, are filled with agony, and the nadaswaram by V Prakash Ilayaraja complements it perfectly. On 'Ivory Game', Praveen Sparsh's brilliantly constructed percussion arrangements segue into vocal chants effortlessly.

Musically and lyrically, there's a lot of depth in this album, and the use of rare South Indian percussion instruments lends an indigenous feel. This is a marvellously thought-out album, made with heart, soul and imagination. Full credit to Sushma Soma, Aditya Prakash and the other musicians for blending so effortlessly.