Spotlight on Emerging Indie Artists, Vol. 5

Welcome to Spotlight on Emerging Indie Artists, Volume 5. I am very excited about Tina Sugandh. She recently sent me her rhythm oriented music along with a link to a video in which she teaches Ringo Starr to play the tabla. You can view this video on Muze Tube at the Bluemusepub channel on YouTube or by selecting the Muze Tube icon on Bluemusepublishing.com It is very funny and interesting.

I have always enjoyed a great variety of ethnic music and rhythms. I have also been very fortunate to have traveled to some parts of the world in which music is an important part of the culture.

Most recently, I spent some time listening to Indian music and trying to understand some of the rich musical heritage from that part of the world. The rhythms and modal quality of Indian music is exotic and intoxicating. However, I am interested in Indian music for personal reasons as well. My older son, Jacob married a lovely Indian girl named Boskya in Atlanta on August 22nd. I am still writing a song as a tribute to their commitment to each other and spent a little time researching the traditions of Indian wedding music. I was amazed. I even bought a shehnai and I am trying to teach myself to play it. Anyway, I do want to say how happy I am to welcome Bosky to our family and to say how much I enjoyed meeting her wonderful family and friends.

Indian music has begun to fuse into western styles and the results are phenomenal. Tina Sugandh is a very good example of this new style of music on her new cd called Tabla Girl. Tina plays the tabla which is a large drum.

The first song, Jao has a great drum intro with orchestration. The song has great melodies over the underlying rhythm and counterpoint vocals. It has a message that may resonate with a lot of women in both eastern and western cultures. Tina's voice is fantastic.

Bollywood Girl starts with a bit of alternating onomatopoeia and tabla drums. I've always wanted to use that word, onomatopoeia in a sentence. It is a great effect and the rhythm is intoxicating. I love the background strings throughout the song.

You Without Me has a nice change in style and tempo. It gives a great example of Tina's range of styles and her ability to sing. This song is relevant in today's adult contemporary market. It is a great love song with a nice hook.

HisStory is a nice play on words. The rhythm is great. The lyrics, phrasing and melodies are excellent. The instrumentation makes the music unique while providing music that is danceable. This music could resonate with a lot of folks. I love the build at the end with traditional drums and the punctuated outtro lyrics.

Stay has a haunting melody in the verse and is very memorable. This song has a lot of potential in radio, TV or film. I love the sitar fills. The lyrics are fantastic. The bridge has a little bit of a Sheryl Crow vibe to it. I love this song.

The production on all of this music is excellent. All of the songs are very good. One song, There Is No Alternative is an acrostic of Tina, which is a very clever play on words I think. There is little doubt in my mind that Tina has a very good future in music.