Besides being an accomplished English devotional songwriter, Tina Malia makes a wonderful contribution to the yoga music scene with her album Jaya Bhagavan. Malia began singing Sanskrit mantras with Jai Uttal, as part of the Pagan Love Orchestra about a decade ago. With encouragement from Jai, Tina eventually began to incorporate mantra practice into her daily life with positive results. Inspired by her love of Sanskrit mantra, Tina Malia was inspired to record Jaya Bhagavan, an album of wonderful Sanskrit tracks. She is joined by Shimshai, an accomplished instrumentalist and vocalist, who brings his own unique sound to the album. The result is a really cool yoga music album that would go well in anyone’s collection.
Jaya Bhagavan opens with “Gayatri.” Rather than having the fiery, peppy energy that many versions of the gayatri mantra often present, Tina and Shimshai allow the mantra to gently build. It reminds me of the rising sun, peeking out and gradually lightening the sky. It’s a nice way to start the album, easing the listener into the experience. “Gayatri” is followed by “ Hara Mahadeva,” another track with a fairly gentle vibe. I’ve heard this chant done really forcefully on other albums, but Tina and Shimshai chose to tone it down a bit. The result is cool and very relaxed.
In the middle of Jaya Bhagavan is a three track set devoted to the feminine Goddess energy. There is some really fun vocal work happening on “Sarva Mangala,” on top of a musical track that takes me on a jungle cruise. This chant is in praise of the divine feminine, seeking the blessing of the feminine energy. All of the vocal layers make this track really vibrant and exciting to listen to. “Hey Amba” is another track with some really kicking vocals. Take note of the interplay between Shimshai and Tina’s voices; the harmonizing they do is awesome. The music has a very Spanish feel, which made me feel as though I should start dancing, especially during the drum interlude. The third track in the Devi sequence is “Om Mata.” You can really feel the reggae influence Shimshai brings, there’s great movement in this track which works its way into the listener, making it nearly impossible not to dance along.“Jaya Bhagavan” is the longest track on the album. It has a substantial, meditative instrumental intro, which really helps to create a wonderful mood for the rest of the track. Tina Malia’s wonderful voice soars, and as an added treat she is joined by Jai Uttal. Together they pierce the heart and make you forget everything else but this beautiful track. The album closes with “Shine,” a sweet English duet between Shimshai and Tina. The simple lyrics and acoustic accompaniment gently take you out of the album and back into the world, hopefully feeling a little more relaxed and peaceful.
The tracks Shimshai leads are really groovy and funky. Tina’s lean a little more towards the sweet side of things. Put together you have a funky, sweet album. The instrumentals and vocals are fresh and exciting, giving Jaya Bhagavan a wonderful energy. It’s a great album for yoga, for chanting along, or just listening in the background. Find out more about Tina Malia’s music and her tour with GuruGanesha Singh on www.spiritvoyage.com .
RSS Feed