Freedom and Leela – Ru (Times Music, 2011)
This is an album for the more spiritually inclined. The 9 tracks are renditions of sacred Hindu mantras, blended with an acoustic fusion of flute, piano and guitar. Not as electric or percussion-heavy as other fusion artists like Prem Joshua, this CD is decidedly more mellow and meditative.
Our pick is the piece Guru. This album is a good listen early in the morning, particularly for foreign listeners not well versed with Indian devotional music. The artistes named Freedom and Leela have presented their fusion works at performances in a number of countries around the world.
Author: Madanmohan Rao
Madanmohan Rao is an author and media consultant from Bangalore, and global correspondent for world music and jazz for World Music Central and Jazzuality. He has written over 15 books on media, management and culture, and is research director for YourStory Media. Madan was formerly World Music Editor at Rave magazine and RJ at WorldSpace, and can be followed on Twitter at @MadanRao.