HASTA KARMA

Indonesian guitarist and composer Dewa BUDJANA is a veteran artist, who has been active as a musician for just about three decades at this point. Besides being active in different bands, he's also a fairly productive solo artist, and the last few years have seen him release a new solo album on a yearly basis. "Hasta Karma" is his eighth solo album, released in 2015 by the US label Moonjune Records.

"Hasta Karma" comes across as a well developed production where a lot of thought and many emotions have been invested into the material, with top-notch musicianship seeing to it that the subtle nuances that appear to be a key feature of Dewa Budjana's compositions are all explored expertly. Instrumental jazz rock with an emphasis on jazz is the style of choice, smooth and easy on the ears on a superficial level, but with added depths and streaks of darkness to be revealed for the careful listener immersing themselves in the material. A polished, well made album all in all, and one easily recommended to those with an affection for instrumental jazz rock.