Mender Banah - Bab Rag Terra
I’m not sure how to describe this album. Sitarist Mender Banah is an excellent musician and appears to be quite versed in Indian music. However the six tracks on Bab Rag Terra, despite the alluring sitar lines and contagiously foot-tapping tablas, sound a bit Western to me. Since I am nowhere near an authority of Indian music I may be totally off base but Mender Banah seems to be playing a Western/Eastern hybrid. But this is just an opinion and it no way diminishes the quality of this album. The catchy beat and hypnotic sitar melodies remain enjoyable throughout this 20 minutes sound fest. I especially like the upbeat tempos of “Dome” and “Baetulus”. Whether this music is traditional or global fusion, world music fans of all kinds will enjoy this album.
The album is available in 128kbps MP3 through the Mastertoaster net label.
