For his third outing,
Wade Morissette
collaborates with award-winning producer
David Nichtern
and creates what is at once a more accessible record than his previous works (in terms of the genre influences) and the next natural progression in his musical arc. Gone is the pop sheen of
Strong as Diamonds
-- replaced by more of a world music sound. The album stakes out its territory right away with the catchy worldbeat opener,
"Guru Ma,"
an anthemic chant shared with world music hero
Krishna Das
(who also shows up on the album's best track).
Morissette
is still concerned with the consciousness-opening transcendent power that music has in long-form chants (he has crafted a modern version of kirtan chant music for much of this record). Whether the chant is a mantra repeated in English or some other tongue,
and producer
Nichtern
play with the levels and layers of sound in a way that creates what can only be described as a "world/yoga" record. The synth programming washes that defined
have been replaced by instruments like the Bansuri flute (on
"Inside"
) and the sarod. The album's standout track is
"Burn It on the Fire,"
which sounds somewhat like an
Us
-era
Peter Gabriel
number -- and is buoyed by guest vocals by
and a marvelous female singer named
Manorama
-- whose voice just happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to that of
's twin sister,
Alanis
. The album closer is the haunting
"OM,"
which literally has the ability to transcend and the production to match. Yet another quality record, and quite an achievement that
continues to find new and interesting ways to explore a territory that is uniquely his own. ~ Tomas Mureika