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The
Struggle
Sheila Chandra 11356 Narada World/Indipop |
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On THE
STRUGGLE, originally released in 1985, world music legend Sheila Chandra
further developed her vocal styles as well as improvised with blues and akar
styles (intricate Indian vocals sung to an ‘ah’ sound). All but one
of the tracks on the album are rhythm-based, ornamenting Chandra’s
compelling voice with tamboura, sitar, surmandel, gamelan, and an
astonishing array of instruments and percussion. An evocative fusion of
tradition and innovation.
Narada World is proud to re-issue THE STRUGGLE, completing the critically-acclaimed re-issue series of Chandra’s influential Indipop recordings. ~ "I don’t think I would name this album THE STRUGGLE now, but, at the time, the title did reflect what was happening to me. I was learning on all levels. I was 19 and having come from a very un-musician-like upbringing, the purpose of making my Indipop recordings was to imbibe as much as I could, as fast as I could. The eight-track studio set up that Indipop Records provided for these first four albums was the perfect place to understand the principles behind the technical aspects of recording. As writers, Steve Coe, Martin Smith, and I were bringing to the project the insights each of us gathered from the standpoint of our chosen instruments. In the limited time I was spending in the public eye (promotion for these early solo albums was so minimal so that I could concentrate on recording and exploring at a prolific rate), I was learning more about how I was being perceived, the categories that the media felt comfortable putting a second generation Asian into (there were, and still are a lot of Asian/female stereotyped expectations pushed at me) and to some degree, more about the conservative nature of my own community. The themes of THE STRUGGLE reflect a period in my life of grappling with the perceptions of what I was supposed to be as defined by the media and public. In this respect, it is the only album of mine that looks so strongly outward. This, couple with the exploration of the mechanics of being a musician on various levels, is what gives THE STRUGGLE its distinctive flavor." - Sheila Chandra
Please visit Sheila Chandra's official website www.sheilachandra.com Be sure to visit www.innerviews.org for an incredible, in-depth interview with Sheila Chandra...click here for the interview http://www.innerviews.org/inner/chandra.html Founded in 1981, the Indipop label has been a forerunner in producing cutting-edge world music from the British-Indian scene, featuring artists like Sheila Chandra who are inspired to experiment with an eclectic fusion of styles and sounds. Sheila Chandra and label founder Steve Coe discuss the Indipop scene in a recent interview. Check out the transcription.
Also available from Sheila Chandra~
on Shakti:
on
Real World Records:
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 For audio help, click here. |
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