This is what it sounds like when a simple, humble woman sings a love song to her beloved God. No tricks, no special effects. Just the power of one woman’s devotion, the strength of her heart, and the grace of her Guru.
If you have ever wondered how we got the divine voice of Snatam Kaur, who is so often described as an angel on earth, now you have your answer. The purity within her mother Prabhu Nam Kaur is not common. We all have the potential to reach this place of inner stillness, but few of us make the choices to do so and are touched with the grace of the Divine in this way.
Snatam and Prabhu Nam sing together on Seasons of the Soul as they have on before on Mother’s Blessing. But there is a new magic on this album, as if becoming a mother herself has changed Snatam in a way that allows these two gifted singers and remarkable women to interact in a new and deeper way. They sing together on this summer’s new album Divine Birth, which reflects the profound impact motherhood has had on Snatam Kaur, but on Seasons of the Soul Prabhu Nam Kaur gets to really flex her muscles and show us all, at long last, what her glorious voice and tender heart can really do.
I once heard Prabhu Nam Kaur singing to herself alone in her bedroom. Accompanied by her harmonium, she sang to God with a voice so rich and pregnant with devotion, I sat on the floor outside transfixed. I couldn’t move. She wasn’t performing. She didn’t know anyone was listening, except for God. My heart was hit with her realness, her no nonsense devotion and profound sweetness. Seasons of the Soul is that same experience. She’s not just making an album. She’s attempting to touch the light of her soul with music, and she invites you to reach out to your own as well.
Her producer, Ram Dass Khalsa, says, “I really wanted to capture and keep the magic of hearing her play live, so we started the process by recording just her with her harmonium in a nonstop take. She is so incredibly consistent in her delivery that it only took a few full runs of the piece to get the feeling that we wanted. From there the process was extremely organic.” In a world of high-tech production, Prabhu Nam Kaur’s music uses a higher technology, that of her precious Sikh Gurus, which is carried on the sacred sound current of the Gurmukhi words. That isn’t to say that the production isn’t first class, because it is. Ram Dass’s choices are made with a precision that can only be intuitive, as if the instruments speak to him themselves and tell him which to employ and where and how.
“Kaval Nain Madhur Bain,” the first track, is an intimate introduction to Prabhu Nam’s sweet voice. She almost sounds as if she’s stepped out of a fairy tale. She is a fair maiden walking through a meadow entrancing the animals with her voice by singing a song of God’s love. When she is joined by Snatam singing Waheguru Wahejio, the gentleness of the instruments swell to support their voices in an almost impossibly lovely way.
On “Suniai” she continues her style of transparency. Taken from a section of the Sikh morning prayer, Japji, “Suniai” speaks of the profound joy in truly listening. To what? To the sound of God, hidden in all creation. Hidden in the name, hidden in the wind, hidden even in the sinners, is the sound of God. If you listen, this prayer reminds you, you will be forever in bliss. She makes it easy to listen, creating a nurturing place to bathe in the sacred words of God.
The third track “Har Har Har Boleeai” gets groovy with a rolling tabla beat. You can easily trance out to the hypnotic rhythm and smooth vocals. Your spine will sway with the beat and suddenly you’re dancing without you even realizing you’re doing it. The climax of the track throbs with a steady Har, Har, Har, and Snatam Kaur’s vocalizations lend just the right flavoring.
On “Name of My Beloved” the folky strings and pluckish tabla are a perfect counterpoint to her lyrics “I contemplate the name of my beloved.” Snatam’s characteristically stunning vocals soar into the mix, giving an entirely new sound to the Guru Ram Das mantra. You’re transported to an Appalachian mountain around a campfire to watch Prabhu Nam sing a love song to her Divine sweetheart.
Prabhu Nam’s “Meera Man Loche” eloquently captures the mood of this shabad that is said to heal the wounds of love. It was written by the future Guru Arjan to his father Guru Ram Das when they were separated for a long period of time. It expresses a deep longing to be back with his beloved Guru. The simple, elegant instruments all sing together with this prayer for reunion. Every pass of the bow, every beat of the tabla, every pipe of the flute, tells its own story of desire for closeness to the Guru. It is clear that master musicians came to play with Prabhu Nam, not just to make an album, but to make an offering to Guru Ram Das, Lord of Miracles.
“Oh Blissful Night” is the lullaby that rounds out this album. I am reminded of the Christmas carol “O Holy Night”, where the faithful are struck down onto their knees by the magnificence of God on one particularly holy night. You can feel that Prabhu Nam spends much of her life in penitent prayer. She sings with her whole heart, and God has opened her heart wide enough to encompass us all. There’s nothing pretend about Seasons of the Soul. There is no posturing or positioning, no jockeying to become a star of kirtan or a darling of the yoga crowd. She is a wise woman whose soul has seen many seasons and whose strongest desire now is simply “to touch God’s lotus feet.”
I asked Snatam Kaur about this album, and she said it was one of her favorite albums of all time. You know what? There are a whole lot of people who are going to agree with her.
Editor's note: Seasons of the Soul CD will be released at Summer Solstice Sadhana Celebration on June 17, 2010. The album will be available for download Friday June 11 when we will feature a track from the new album for Free Music Friday. Stay tuned to the blog and our facebook page for more information about this new release!
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Thanks for this wonderful review, which really captures the spirit of the album. I would only add one thing: In addition to his production talents, Ram Dass is also an amazing musician. Check out track 3 for a beautiful clarinet duet interwoven with the superb vocals. He also contributed beautiful guitar and piano instrumentals on the CD.
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Wow! What a beautiful review! Satnam, ji………
Great review. Magic Musician