NITIN Sawhney, an Anglo-Asian who grew up in Kent, fills his albums with musical references, sometimes touring the world with a guitar and his recording equipment.
For Philtre, he moves closer to the mainstream, while still remaining a musical magpie. Having so many influences in one album, from blues and Indian traditional music to rock, jazz, snatches of rap and string surges, risks confusion - yet Sawhney mostly manages to hold everything together beautifully. At its weakest, this approach can lead to easy listening or tasteful background music, but Sawhney mostly rises above that, with outstanding tracks such as Dead Man, which melds raw slide guitar with Indian vocals, the mesmerising Rag Doll, or the rousing Noches En Vela, with haunting vocals and flamenco flourishes.
Updated: 09:23 Thursday, June 02, 2005
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