“Traces of You” is a very personal album from Anoushka Shankar in memory of her dad Ravi Shankar,the sitar maestro, who passed away while she was recording the album. Anoushkar collaborated with her half-sister Nora Jones and they co-wrote three songs in this album. The other major collaborator is Nitin Sawhney, who composed many o fhte tracks with Anoushka.

The album combines Indian classical music with modern Western influences. Three of the tracks arein English, one track has a Sanskrit vedic chants & the rest are all instrumental compositions that showcase Anoushka’s fluency on the sitar. You can hear & feelthe traces of Ravi Shankar in this album.

Play any track. They all work. Try 1, 2,5,7,8, 9, 10, 11, 12

1. The Sun Won’t Set is a lovely tribute paid by the sisters to their father Ravi Shankar. Ravi means ‘sun” in Sanskrit. Nora Jones renders the lyrics in a beautiful way.
2. A soothing instrumental track.
3. Indian Summer is a beautiful, bright sitar recital by Anoushka. It captures the mood when Anoushka fell in love with her husband to be filmmaker Joe Wright, who directed Pride & Prejudice & Atonement.
4.Maya is a Sanskrit word for Illusion. A slow, pensive track that picks up steam midway & gently tapers off.
5. Sparkling sitar number. Lasya means dance & in this track Anoushka’s fingers dance over the Sitar’s frets in a delightful manner.
6. A slow instrumental track where Anoushka & Nitin pay homage to their respective fathers, who were both unwell at the time they were composing this number. You can clearly hear the soulful touch of sadness in this track.
7. An interesting track about change that combines a Vedic mantra with the sounds of sitar & sehnai with Nitin Sawhney playing bass guitar. This particular Vedic mantra is chanted when someone passes away.
8. Anoushka composed this track to express her anger, sadness & solidarity with sexual violence. You can hear the emotions she feels in this powerful track that crackles with unleashed energy.
9. Mellow & melodious. Anoushka pays homage to her father’s memory in this track.
10. Anoushka & Nitin Sawhney wrote the lyrics for “Traces of You.”. Nora’s singing is accompanied with Anoushka on Sitar & Nitin on guitar.The rhythm of the song reminds you of a river song & of a boatsman owing down a river.
11. A fast-paced track that pulsates with energy & happiness. Nitin Sawhney wrote “River Pulse” in remembrance of Ravi Shankar. Anoushka captures her father’s musical genius in this number.
12. Rudra veena player Vishwa Mohan Bhatt & Anoushka wrote “Chasing Shadows.” A lovely, fast-paced number with a South Indian percussion flavor of mridangam, ghattam & kanjira.
13. A loving tribute by the sisters to their dad. Nora’s voice & Anoushka’s sitar pay a gentle tribute to love for their dad.

Kamla Aug 2014