Dhruv Ghanekar/ Voyage 2

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Dhruv Ghanekar with guests/ Voyage 2

Genre: Folk-fusion

Label: Wah Wah Records

Ràting: ****

Nine years after he released the album Voyage, composer, producer and guitarist Dhruv Ghanekar has come out with the sequel. The broad idea of Voyage 2 is pretty much the same, as he blends Indian folk melodies with global tunes and textures.

Interestingly, all the five lead vocalists are women. Two of them, Ila Arun and Kalpana Patowary, were featured on the earlier album. This time, Nandini Srikar opens the album with 'Subrabhatam', a contemporary version of the shloka associated with M.S. Subbulakshmi. This version has a drum n' bass blend.

Vaishali Samant, of 'Aika Dajìba' fame, appears on the peppy 'Jatra', which has flavours from Norway, Brazil and Portugal, and has a very hummable melody line. Asha Sapera sings the Rajasthani number 'Rasiya Chunari', which has a dose of funk.

Ila Arun sings four Rajasthani tunes, of which 'Charkha' is a beauty, with its choruses, guitars and earthy percussion. Her 'Nacho' is a quintessential Rajasthani folk number, with its bubbling energy, Taufiq Qureshi's percussion and a sizzling horn section. 'Bego' and 'Jadu' use jazz and reggae flavours, respectively.

Kalpana Patowary is remarkable on the Assamese songs 'Deuri' and 'O Sorotiya'. Both have guest appearances by hip-hop artiste Illa Straight, blended with diverse global sounds. She also appears towards the end of the concluding track 'Assam', which is actually dominated by guitar and flute.

One of the highlights of the album is Ghanekar's guitarwork, His solos on 'Deori', 'O Sorotiya' and 'Rasiya Chunari' are up there. As a composer, he blends various styles judiciously, and his knowledge of diverse global sounds is evident. The addition of collaborators like Taufiq Qureshi, bassists Mohini Dey and Tim Lefebevre, and drummer Gino Banks adds value.

All in all, here's an album that blends folk with contemporary arrangements, and is a glorious example of what folk-fusion should be.

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