In an attempt to take an artistic step forward, Wah! has decided to fancy up traditional East Indian kirtans by adding Western rhythms and instrumentation. She even includes a "Dub Version" of "Govinda Gopala" as the closing track. Unfortunately, the simplicity heard on her previous release,
Meditation Series: Chanting, was the alluring part, so what she has achieved on
CD Krishna is less than remarkable, comparatively speaking. As part and parcel of creating new melodies, she must also force the "lyrical" phrases into patterns they aren't meant to fit. To do so, she cheats a little here and there on the pronunciations. Lord Krishna is forgiving, no doubt, but it just doesn't seem right. The musical result of all this tweaking wouldn't sound out of place squeaking through the sound system of a new age resort. It just won't really be that pleasing to real kirtan fans. On the brighter side, her voice is as lovely as ever and her devotion is apparent. It's also nice to have an entire collection of chants dedicated to one deity, rather than trying to cover them all (and there are many). ~ Kelly McCartney