Master of Masters opens the album with an eclectic mix of Mahaganapatim in a scintillating mélange of effervescent fusion. Rajesh’s mandolin demonstrates a frenzied, infectious energy. Rimsky-Korsakov’s 18th century classic Flight of the Bumblebee gets a hypnotic mandolin-led interpretation. The backgrounds, traversing bluesy psychedelia help place the mandolin that seems to be going flamboyantly haywire within the confines of the original’s notes. Intoning what sounds like Dharmavathi, Rajesh’s mandolin plays through Greg Ellis’ mighty creative percussion to create a heady concoction in Crimson Sun. Pam Chowhan’s keyboard steals the show in Daybreak in the West, even as Rajesh leads it to the tune of Sunrise from his last album. Eastern Aesthetic starts off in almost filmy fashion, but post the 2:30 mark it gets a new lease of life with the sweeping orchestral sound and another pivot at the 4:30 mark where it gets brilliantly jazzy. Pam highlights her work again in Nearer My God To Thee, the shortest and the most somber track of the album. The pensive single violin and minimal mandolin paves way for a grand Hollywood style orchestral sound. Following My Heart is a fitting and wonderfully evolved follow-up to Rajesh’s last album, Into The Light!
Keywords: Mandolin U Rajesh, Greg Ellis, Pete Lockett, Pam Chowhan, Cameron Stone, Dan Lutz, Harmeet Manseta, #200, 200
PS: This album can be purchased here as CD or MP3.