the track opens with the quiet confidence of a woman singing almost acapella... almost to herself. we listen as if watching her from a distance. too afraid to draw attention to ourselves, too afraid to scare her off.
and as her opening verse echoes off, a guitar and dholak (a north indian drum) draw us in. the addition of the flute and then the harmonium (imagine an accordion played lying down) round out the sound beautifully. and it's done. we're caught, unable to resist.
what she sings of, who knows? the mystery makes it all the more interesting.
uk's panjabi mc (aka rajinder rai) included this song on "the album", almost a 'greatest hits' record, which fuses hip-hop with bhangra. this track may seem out of place but there is a common thread - the showcase of traditional instruments like the dholak and thumbi, fundamentals of rai's ancestral punjabi folk music, which he fuses with hip-hop and guitar rhythms to give birth to very infectious sounds.
one bite we're reeled in. his music was bootlegged in europe, smuggled to north america where jay-z blew it up, causing it to resurface again in europe as 'bhangra-hop'. today, panjabi mc is a household name.
the addition of the guitar on this track opens it up for many who would not normally listen to punjabi folk music. all the instruments he brings together here are brilliant, especially the voice. it's the debut for UK vocalist, hema sharma, who was rumoured to have been only 14 years old at the time of recording... a sweet, innocent, and strong sound. i hope to hear more from her.
ready to get reeled in?
panjabi mc - ghalla gurian:
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