Personnel includes: Susheela Raman (vocals, tanpura); Same Milles (guitar, bones, background vocals); Vincent Segal (cello); Manos Achalinotopoulos (clarinet); Djanuno Dabo (congas, bongos, claypot, shakers, background vocals); Albert Kuvezin (bass, Jaw harp); Hilaire Penda (bass); Tony Allen (drums); Radik Tiuliush (Jaw harp, background vocals).
Recorded at El Cortijo Studios, Andalusia, Spain between November 2002 and February 2003.
LOVE TRAP is the sexy follow-up to Susheela Raman's Mercury Prize-nominated album SALT RAIN. Raman is a native of England, born of South Indian parents, and raised in Australia. Her multi-cultural background enhances her global vision of world music. By bending and reshaping her myriad of musical influences, Raman has recorded a pleasing and erotically charged album of music that pulls from various folk music traditions to create a unique hybrid. "Love Trap" is the most accessible and appealing track on the album. One of the two English-language vocals, "Love Trap" is a sensual, jazzy re-working of a 1970s Ethiopian club hit. Its throbbing beat chugs along while Raman's siren-like vocals beckon and entice the listener into her snare. The album's other seven tracks are sung in various languages, incorporating a myriad of styles, including Tuvan throat singing and the complex wail of India's traditional Carnatic vocals. With the help of producer and guitarist Sam Mills, LOVE TRAP flirts with trip-hop, rock, and electronica while respecting its musical roots. The music pulsates with energy and each musician is given a chance to shine on the album's many instrumental interludes. LOVE TRAP is sophisticated, sexy, and sure to be considered a classic in the career of this rising star.
What the critics say...
Uncut (8/03, p.110) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[With] a plentiful supply of serious musicality and spiritual Indian vibes to satisfy the purists....A record to put a smile on your face..."
