Warriors of Light By Radhika Vekaria

 

Warriors of Light

By

Radhika Vekaria

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

It was very good to hear from Radhika Vekaria again, her music has created a plethora of tonal mastery over the years; she also has an impressive list of people she has worked with in that time, and her cultural heritage has brought her much colour and opportunity in her time. Warriors of Light is her new stunning album; one that will raise every single hair on your body it is so moving and hugely powerful.

We start with Asato Ma Sadgamaya (Purification Prayer), as we set our intent, as we focus our energies from the shadows of fear and into the cleansing light of truth. Vekaria’s vocals here reach the deepest part of our being with her imploring narrative, one that leads perfectly into the following composition called Liberate (Maha Mrityunjaya).

Before we can assist in helping liberate others, we must first set ourselves free. Liberate (Maha Mrityunjaya) is that track, that musical moment that leaves the listener with such a emotive response, such a genuine feeling of determination is grown at this juncture of the journey, and on a track that is so wonderfully composed, created and produced, it would indeed make a sublime single on any chart.

Kali, seen as the deity who delivers Moksha or the aforementioned Liberation in the previous track, is one of the main figures in Hinduism, the goddess that destroys evil to protect the innocent.  The rhythmic pastiche here is captivating, a veritable dance of freedom to the masses can be found in one of the most compelling offerings from the album.

Release Your Fears (Jaya Jaya Durge Ma), is our location of spiritual enlightenment, this is a truly vibrant almost pop styled arrangement from the artist, one that demands attention and contains some fascinating chord structures, elevations and rhythmic projections. The message is well made and indeed realising one’s own a fear is the only path that can be taken that will eventually lead you to success.

As we step over the half way marker on our voyage of inner education we come across a piece entitled Aganitha Tara (The Dance of Countless Stars). Here lies one of the most vibrant and fluent creations from the album, a composition filled with lush eastern beats, measures and cadences, this is one of those tracks that you will find yourself coming back to time and time again.

We can now knock on the door of our musical gallery and find the main canvas, the tile track, Warriors of Light. The mysterious beginning of tone and timbre is palpable and compelling; Radhika’s spoken words are an illumination of significance and this meditative construction one of my personal favourites from the album.

Hanuman Chalisa (feat. Shashank Acharya) is up next, now I mentioned the meditative qualities of this album before, but this specific track doubly so, this also happens to be the longest manifestation from the album at just short of 9 minutes. This 40 stanza ode to Hanuman gifts us insight, and talks about the strength, generosity, and intelligence of Hanuman.

So we have drifted into the ethereal realms of our penultimate offering called Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram. There is something deeply melodic in this track that I love, the piano here too is sublime in creating an extra dimension of tone into the proceedings, this is a fine example of a devotional song, one that I believe was popularised by Mahatma Gandhi back in the day.

Our concluding composition is entitled Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu (Peace Prayer). I believe this is one of my wife’s favourites, and we have a version of this by Grammy winner Paul Avgerinos and friends. Here Radhika adds her own depth, passion and compassion into this Sanskrit mantra, this is a powerful offering, one that I also support in its plea of, “I wish peace and happiness to all beings, may my actions and behaviour contribute to others in a way that brings peace and happiness”.

Warriors of Light by Radhika Vekaria has to be one of the most compelling and enjoyable albums of the genre I have heard for simply years. Radhika creates wonderfully warm vocals, ones that are so enchanting and gracious in there tone and timbre. From production and presentation to its cultural instrumentation, Warriors of Light by Radhika Vekaria is an album that merits the respect it will no doubt get, and to be graced by awards that it most certainly deserves.