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americanbhangra.com |
AMERICAN BHANGRA (TAUNK ENTERPRISES) |
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American Bhangra is a catchy disc that is certainly the possessor of an appropriate moniker. An energetic, fashionable blend of American R&B/dance/hip-hop/pop elements and the exotica of Eastern flavors, American Bhangra delivers the grooves and the sweet tinge of the vocal stylings from afar – it doesn't take long to get into the flow of these cool tunes. At the same time Bollywood is making its mark in the Western film world, the East's musical influences are also being felt more and more stateside and this is a mostly charming example. I say mostly charming because the one chink in the armor here is when the music does slip into English vocals. It becomes too apparent then that what you're hearing is actually fairly straightforward pop music with moments that border on silly and derivative. However, the overwhelming tang of the imported flavors wins the day. If I heard this same music from a strictly Western act, I wouldn't take notice. But it falls back on its world flavors and saves run-of-the-mill songwriting by converting it into foreign charm. In the end, American Bhangra is an absorbing listen. It'd be a page-turner if it was a book. A novel bought at a supermarket, perhaps, rather than Barnes and Noble, but a page-turner nonetheless. -- review by Kristofer Upjohn
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