Dave Stringer's music derives from a style of Indian devotional chanting called Kirtan. In Sanskrit, the word "japa" means "to repeat a mantra," and this album concentrates on deep, penetrating mantras, all sung in Sanskrit.
Stringer's band and singing ensemble reflect both Western and Eastern modalities. Some songs here, like "Devakinandana Gopala (Major)," use a Western chord progression, while other tracks employ sparse amounts of guitar, bass, drum kit, and horns. But the most stirring aspects of this release revolve around the musical elements from India. Indeed, Stringer's somber chanting is best complemented by the sitar and the virtuosic tabla playing of Girish Gambhira. This is best epitomized on "Ganapati Om" and "Hey Shiva Shankara."