“Land of Gold” is Anoushka Shankar’s musical response and support to the ongoing refugee crisis around the globe. Shankar uses her sitar as the “terrain” to “explore the gamut of emotional expression - evoking shades of aggression, anger and tenderness…”

Shankar and Manu Delgado wrote most of the songs in this album that reflect the sadness, the loss and that fleeting hope that people experience when they are searching for a place called home.

Shankar’s husband - filmmaker Joe Wright helped shape the core mood and feel for this album.

1. The swaying rhythm of “Boat to Nowhere,” captures that sense of movement, a journey filled with hope & forlornness. It is as if the music is asking the question - where is my home now? 5:46

2. Secret Heart is dripping with sadness & loneliness. The shehnai (Indian reed instrument) emphasizes that sadness that is at the core of this track. 6:17

3. M.I.A wrote & sang this evocative track about being a refugee & crossing boundaries. M.I.A is famous for fighting for the rights of refugees. 2:55

4. The slow & soft notes brilliantly capture & distill the sounds of “Dissolving Boundaries." You feel the boundaries melting, dissolving...5:16

5. A touching track about parents & their love for their children. 4:40

6. Last chance reflects a loss of home & then a frantic search of finding a haven finally. The sitar & percurssion capture that last bit of fading hope that you want to grab with both your hands.4:43

7. Vanessa Redgrave reads a poignant & heart wrenching poem written by Pavana Reddy. The second half is an arresting chant refrain. 4:11

8.Crossing the Rubicon reflects the struggle of refugees & you can hear it in Shankar’s sitar & Sanjeev Shankar’s shehnai, an Indian reed instrument. 10:58

9. Slow & reflective track. It as if you are surrendering & waiting for better things to happen on a new tomorrow. 4:49

10. Reunion is a track filled with hope since they are “free now.”Shankar’s sitar, Mitch Jones on piano & Pirashanna Thevaraj’s mridgam & ghattam sparkle. 4:59