Subcontinental Drift

Sitar master Anwar Khurshid guest stars on this CD made by Canadians of Lebanese-Egyptian, Indian and European backgrounds; great sound; great texture; the best kind of fusion music with a rock sensibility that should make it widely appealing

NO FCC's; Favorite Tracks: 3, 6, 8, 10

1- 3:30 – Indian crossed with Irish sounding fiddle –bent notes with jig-type rhythms; weird but fun, a little George Harrison-esque; very upbeat

2-2:32-- medley of Irish fiddle song brought to India under the Raj with Hindi lyrics and their own “Rouge River Valley” – lively

*3-6:40 –traditional Sindhi song, updated and sung in both Sindhi and Sudanese dialect, beautiful vocals

4-4:19-- quieter, more contemplative; contemporary vocal with Eastern and Western backing

5-3:42-- “Blowin' in the Wind” Indian style with vocals and sitar; more upbeat and lively than Dylan's searching original, bridge in Indian language is interesting

*6-5:37-”Snake Charmer” – inspired by traditional tune – starts slow, speeds up; repetition hints at improv, rich with sound and texture

7-7:02- female and then male singer vocalize in Sindhi with guitar accompaniment; turns into an anthem

*8-3:57- violin intro, Celtic vibe, “Journey to Freedom,” then sitar takes center stage with fiddle doubling; nice!

9-3:58- slower, guitar and synth with drums underneath; 7/4 rhythm; a little mysterious

*10-4:23—contemplative; big sitar sound; Urdu lyrics; nice harmonics; soaring vocals