Susheela Raman and Sam Mills at The Stables, Wavendon, Buckinghanshire, UK.
November 13th 2005
I came to Susheela Raman rather late in life ~ but better late than never in this case ~ when she guested on Mercan Dede’s Su where I was immediately transfixed by her ‘lush, breathy voice’
on the track Ab-i Beka.
On a cold Sunday night she, with her husband, Sam Mills, impressively skillful on acoustic guitars, played to a small but truly enthusiastic and appreciative audience in the up close and personal surroundings of Johnny and Cleo’s Stables in the hinterlands of Milton Keynes.On stage there was a powerful and refreshing simplicity to their pairing ~ they had no other musicians with them and used only the minimum of tracks ~ but they still made a totally involving and mesmerizing night of it, with that acrobatic and throaty depth to her real woman’s voice that has something of the dark and primeval about it.
She moved seamlessly from emotive, traditionally based songs to smooth cool jazz and was equally as exciting to watch as to listen to, throwing herself physically into the wilder, rocking renditions from Music for Crocodiles and her earlier albums, making full use of that amazing mane of hair.
She apologized before the encore for the frog in her throat ~ well, it must have been some incredibly talented frog! ~ and then sinuously launched into the most sexy, sensual and scary, scary version of Trust In Me from Disney’s Jungle Book as it was never sung by the snake, Kaa!!!
I’ll never be able to look Mowgli in the eye again………………..
Buy Susheela Raman’s CDs: Love Trap, Music for Crocodiles, and Salt Rain.
Author: Yvonne Mitton
