Shankar L.: Chepleeri Dream

L. Shankar (Lakshminarayana Shankar) is an Indian born musician/composer/producer with more than thirty solo albums to his credit. The violinist has worked with a wide array of musicians including Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Pete Townshend, The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Lou Reed and many others. He also formed the classically based Shakti where he played with John McLaughlin and released three albums from 1975 to 1977.

His new album titled Chepleeri Dream is the first I have heard from this prolific musician, which just goes to show the sheer volume of material at our fingertips. If I was to categorize this new offering I would say art rock and pop would be as good as any. The tunes are catchy and Shankar has a pleasant singing voice, easy to listen to and of course his violin can be heard throughout the disc. Joining Shankar are some well-known names including Chester Thompson (Phil Collins, Genesis), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), Jonathan Davis (Korn), Scott Page (Supertramp, Pink Floyd), Norwood Fisher (Fishbone) and Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel).

There are eleven tracks starting with “In My Heart�, an arty pop rock tune with Gabriel-esque lead vocals and a mellow groove. Textural guitar rhythms add to the moodiness in the catchy “Faith� featuring a short sax solo from Scott Page. Those textured guitar riffs return in “Spreading All Over�, another darkly tinged slice of artful pop music. The violin in the super catchy “Can’t Wait� and the dreamy soundscapes of the title track are more obvious highlights.

Chepleeri Dream is a very nice art pop rock album, quite refined for a more discerning ear. Recommended.

Track Listing:
1. In My Heart
2. Faith
3. Spreading All Over
4. Can’t Wait
5. Chepleeri Dream
6. Suppose
7. Knowing You
8. Ocean Waves
9. New World
10. Patience
11. Emotions

Added: October 1st 2020
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1290
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]