Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Shakti With John McLaughlin - Natural Elements CD (album) cover

NATURAL ELEMENTS

Shakti With John McLaughlin

 

Indo-Prog/Raga Rock

4.15 | 143 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

TheCaptain
4 stars I should preface this by saying this is my first experience with the indo prog/raga rock genre and Indian music in general and only the second band I have heard that isn't from Europe or North America (the first being Koenjihyakki). With that in mind I have to say I have to say "Natural Elements" is a fantastic album. Unfortunately, I'm really quite confused (in a good way) by this music and find it near impossible to provide a comprehensive track-by-track review of this album.

I first heard "Mind Ecology" here on PA and that was enough to convince me to get this album. It is constantly going every direction at once. The more I think about it the more the song astounds me. The percussion and most of the violin, lead guitar, and other stringed instruments are incredibly fast-paced while not being the slightest bit frantic. Meanwhile the background guitar provides a few mellow chords every now and then, which despite the relatively few notes/chords it plays manages to calm the whole song down. Constant interplay of tempos and the fact that I have no idea what I should be feeling makes this song like nothing I have heard before. It's extremely fun. 10/10

"Face to Face" is a toned-down response to the opening track. Some comparisons can be drawn between these two songs but I don't think there's enough to be upset about. It's like the two songs are both discussing the same thing but from different perspectives. 7/10

"Come on Baby Dance with Me" is a short and fast piece that has plenty of joy to spare. 8/10

"The Daffodil and the Eagle" is a folky piece that is the most violin-centric piece on the album. 8/10

"Happiness is Being Together" is an upbeat piece of Latin music given an Indian edge which makes it incredibly interesting. 9/10

"Bridge of Sighs" brings a blues flavor to the album. 6/10 "Get Down and Sruti" seems to be a combination of tracks 1,2 and 4 while still having its own identity. There's a big focus on the percussion in this song but I find it unimpressive for the most part. 6/10

The aptly-named "Peace of Mind" is a peaceful and mellow sort of a goodbye for the album. It knows "Natural Elements" is over and hints at sadness while not being overtly so. 8/10

I think that if you like any one song on "Natural Elements" you will probably like the entire album. I recommend this as an intro to the genre because it's accessible and representative of the genre.

TheCaptain | 4/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this SHAKTI WITH JOHN MCLAUGHLIN review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.