Voyage to India

by

India.Arie

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India.Arie came out of nowhere about 18 months ago to capture the ears, and hopes of her listeners with a genuinely original approach to soul music. Using quiet instrumentation amd upbeat heartfelt lyrics, she made a clear impression with her debut. "Voyage To India" confirms that India's approach to music is vital.

This album could be called "Acoustic Soul, Part 2" for there is no clear deviation from the debut. India's songs remain acoustic guitar based, and her lyrics could make up a couple of weeks of "Oprah", but in this case, that is a plus. Listening to a joyful lilt like "Little Things", you are reminded of how great soul music can be. It's a beautiful song, from it's let's keep it simple message through it's borrowing of Rufus's "Hollywood" to lay down an accompanying beat.

"God Is Real" lets India loose on a spiritual jam that is both hummable and intelligent. "Can I Walk With You", the closest thing to a genuine toe-tapper, quietly bops along while offering up praise and inspiration. And "Good Man", a personal favorite, tells a beautiful story of love and rememberence against an acoustic backdrop that is perfect for its lyrics.

India's 2nd album may not suprise you like "Acoustic Soul" did, for other female soulsters have taken up with their guitars in the wake of India's success. But if you enjoy simple, spritual tunes with soft yet smart instrumentation, then this album belongs in your collection.

I really wanted to like this album as I bought it the first day it came out. I bought it...and also got two bonus tracks "Butterfly" and "Christmas Song" (for a total of 18) on this version. I'm very sorry to say that India's sophomore effort is jinxed. I have listened to it carefully about five times and nothing really stands out. The tracks become monotonous because the production is weak and the lyrics are extraordinarily sappy and preachy. The best song India has done aside from her first album is "Butterfly." This song stood out on the Red Star Sounds compilation album. Sadly, this song is rehashed on this album but this version completely destroyed the beauty of the original. Instead of a strong, punctuating beat to accompany some good lyrics from the original, the new version slows to a crawl and never builds the momentum of the original. The Christmas Song with Stevie Wonder is nothing more than filler.

India's messages just do not resonate with me on this album. She actually seemed more mature and realistic on her first album, while this album is very idealistic and overly positive.

Hopefully she will make more classics like Brown Skin, Back to the Middle, Video, and Nature in the future.