In Review--Shweta Jhaveri's Huge
Shweta Jhaveri Huge 21stCentury Cosmos The first CD I received of Khayal vocalist Shweta Jhaveri's was anahita , (Intuition Music & Media), several years ago. This recording introduced me to Jhaveri's contemporary Khayals embellished by violin, bass, guitars, dobro, drums, and percussion. Jhaveri formed her own label, 21stCentury Cosmos which she released to traditional recordings, Avishkar and Khayal-Saga . Her newest recording, Huge marries English lyrics to Indian classical vocal techniques, (alaap or improvisation). The end result suggests ethereal pop with an exotic locale. Drums, percussion, electric bass, acoustic bass, and keyboards ( New Age Morning ), lightly support Shweta's warm vocals. The music feels accessible without the cloying new age tendencies. The 7 compositions feature uplifting spiritual lyrics. I am assuming that some of the songs were composed late winter or early spring since the lyrics reflect on sun and new beginnings, but that coul...