Review – Tabula Rasa

Being as I am South Indian, hearing a very nearly Carnatic album as this is makes for a very different experience than what a fresh listener would have. Now, this is not really a Carnatic album. The banjo playing around the traditional instruments makes too new a sound to classify it that easily. I just find it hard to escape from the influence of traditional Indian music. I never got deeply enough into Carnatic to appreciate this album.

All I can really tell you are my impressions, even if here they probably count nothing towards yours. This is to me a Carnatic album, and is certainly a decent one. I have been listening to this album and only this album for a while, and it is anything but stale. However, it does not stand out at all. Every song is pretty much background to me, whereas other Bela Fleck albums tend to draw you in and make you smile.

Track of the Album: The fight is between the mridangam of Geocentricity and the sheer Indian beauty of Radha Krsna Lila, although the traditional energy of The Dancing Girl is also quite good. I think Radha Krsna Lila deserves the win though. It has a purity and simplicity which make it extremely pretty.