SUSHEELA RAMAN
Music for Crocodiles
Narada
Susheela Raman is the latest in a line of
Indian performers who have sought to bring the traditional
aspects of the music of their heritage into a satisfying
mix with popular Western musical forms in a way that does
not subjugate the exotic elements, making them into mere
ornaments that only pay lip service to age old musical traditions.
On Music for Crocodiles, her third album, Raman
pushes a bit further out from her comfort zone, performing
the majority of the songs in English.
What is great about Raman’s work is
that her songs are not immediately Western-pop catchy; they
take a bit of time to seep into the brain and become familiar.
Still, there is enough of the texture and attitude of more
adventurous Western pop to satisfy most listeners until
a more organic understanding of Raman’s songwriting
takes hold. And while Raman, a British-born, Australian-raised
Tamil, writes in the quirky pop format that she must have
absorbed through a childhood and teenage years influenced
not only by the radio, but by singing south Indian classical
music. Raman branched out into what she terms ‘blues-based
music’ as a teen. Her previous recordings, Salt
Rain and Love Trap are awash in jazzy, blues-soaked
sounds mixed in with what is often termed ‘raga rock.’
On Music For Crocodiles, Raman achieves the fusion
she has been seeking, and the result is a satisfying listen.
Adding to Raman’s musical vision is
the stretching of boundaries. She sings more songs in English
on this CD than on any previous one. She also records, for
the first time, with Indian musicians, giving her music
a spontaneity that is rare in pop music recordings today.
Whereas Indian/pop music’s previous most successful
female artist, Sheila Chandra, slowly shed the trappings
of British pop music even as she sought links between classical
Indian and British folk music, Raman does not want to shed
anything. Instead, she wants to successfully fuse it in
a way that increases the potency of the ingredients. And
she succeeds.
It becomes increasingly pointless to speak
of ‘world music’ in a time when people in most
countries around the world have the ability to directly
hear music that is steeped in the local culture and not
sanitized for marketing purposes. Increasingly all musical
forms have begun to meld, and Music for Crocodiles
is a perfect example of that. Likewise, it also becomes
pointless to speak of acoustic and electronic music, of
real time performance and manipulated performance. Savvy
singers and songwriters, from Sarah McLachlan to Beth Orton,
have successfully fused folky, acoustic sounds with electronics
and studio manipulation to create a sound that is both distinctly
modern and evocative of the distant past.
Music for Crocodiles will be enjoyable
listening for those who like pop music laced with Indian
elements, are admirers of singers like McLachlan, Orton,
and Chandra, world music and new age music devotees, and
those who just like music that stretches out beyond the
boundaries and follows its own logic. Music for Crocodiles
is highly recommended. Tell your friends.
