Sivamani intelligently merges with the flow in the first 2 tracks – the bouncy Dancing in the moon and the chants-meet-lounge, Kriya. Ustads Allah Rakha and Zakir Hussain make inspired appearances in the spritely Abbaji, while Infinity, woven around a child’s birth, Osho’s voice, Tamil folk verses by Pandaram Selvam and mesmerizing sarangi by Ustad Liyakath Ali Khan, is incredibly conceived and executed! The percussionist displays his amazing grasp over the medium most effectively in Santushti and scores a knock-out in Basin Bridge, with scintillating mandolin play by U Shrinivas. Vikku Vinayakram’s ghatam and Naveen’s flute blend with Rangbir’s vocals to create a surreal effect in Mother’s Land. Vasi vasi plays to create Siva Siva, with Shankar’s soaring vocals while the jugalbandi’sh ode to Sivamani’s father, S M Anandan seems to be in a bit of disarray. Niladri Kumar’s sitar soars progressively in Aadhaar, almost like a solo and Hariharan makes a surprise entry with one of his ghazals in Jam Packed, a spinning fusion of genres featuring Tabla, Sax, keyboards and Siva’s percussion. The musician smartly packages a vote-of-thanks in the 12th track, Thank You. The composer in Sivamani cleverly overshadows the percussionist to deliver a spellbindingly accessible album!
Keywords: Sivamani, Naveen Kumar, Louiz Banks, Niladri Kumar, Ustad Allah Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Osho, Ustad Liyakath Ali Khan, Mandolin U Shrinivas, Vikku Vinayakram, Shankar Mahadevan, Selvaganesh, Hariharan, Blazee
