Reviewed by Ruth Saint

The enchanting painting The Dalit Madonna by Christian artist Jyoti Sahi on the front sleeve welcomes you to 'Amrit Vani' (Immortal Word), Aradhna's latest album of devotional bhajans to Christ. Having enjoyed their previous albums, 'Amrit Vani' pleasantly surprises with a freshness of sound. The group have toured extensively over the last few years and I think have grown in confidence as a result. The whole east/west synthesis shown on this album is flourishing, with many new guest musicians playing traditional Indian instruments that blend beautifully with the guitars of Pete Hicks and Travis McAfee. The addition of a choir on many of the tracks enhances the worship experience and complements those distinctive vocals of Chris Hale. Fiona Hicks, Pete's wife, also makes her debut appearance on violin and Chris' wife Miranda contributes to the vocals. Track two, "Yeshu Raja" (King Jesus) may be familiar to some as it was performed by Olio on 'Aparampar'. Here it is a very gentle song of praise, introduced perfectly with both acoustic guitar and sitar. "Amrit Vani" has a celebratory feel to it with tinkling bells and choir, encouraging you to dance and worship. Aradhna's combination of Eastern and Western music is evident in "Man Mera". It has a contemporary feel but blends seamlessly with the more traditional tracks. A song about the awakening soul builds up to combine Chris singing in Hindi whilst Pete overlaps in English. It is my particular favourite. Chris and Pete combine Hindi and English again on the final track "Narahari". This last song expands on the first, "Jaya Dev" based on the Sanskrit words by Brahmabandhab Upadhyay describing God as Narahari, which means Man-God . God becoming wholly human whilst remaining independent and free of his creation. Chris sings just two phrases throughout this song but changes the emotion at every corner, from highly charged to quietly devotional. At the same time Pete interprets the emotional content in spoken English and the choir and music draws out the passion of both artists. A beautiful climax to a beautiful album.

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