Surrender By Hargun Kaur & Kirti Varsani

 

Surrender

By

Hargun Kaur & Kirti Varsani

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Some albums entertain the senses; others invite us to reconnect with something far more profound. Surrender, the evocative six-track collaboration between vocalist Hargun Kaur and composer and music director Kirti Varsani, belongs firmly in the latter category. Surrender by Hargun Kaur & Kirti Varsani is a sublime modern take on the devotional genre and it succeeds with aplomb, grace and style.

The vocal layers and patterns in this opening piece called Surrender (Ja Tu Mere Wal) are matched beautifully with the percussion and added instrumentation to give a tempting and enticing feel to the composition, environmental sounds and delicate instrumental textures create an immediate sense of space before the rhythm gradually gathers momentum to gift the listener a deeply palpable starting composition.

At the centre of this musical journey is Hargun Kaur, whose vocal performance provides both the emotional anchor and the spiritual compass of the collection, and this next powerful and uplifting narrative emphasises her skill set beautifully. Ethereal vocal layers and orchestral colours deepen the sense of ceremony, while the developing percussion introduces a more primal rhythmic character that is film score standard with ease, and called Reverence (So Satguru Pyara)

Eternal (Saaiyan) is up next, this deeply moving and spiritual opus gives the listener a sense of wonderment drama and mystique. The globally infused collective of multi-instrumental instrumentation is incredibly alluring and sensual. This is a fascinating track and one that continues that reflective atmosphere, blending instrumental layers into a spacious and reassuring backdrop. The music seems to encourage the listener to relinquish the demands of the outside world, even if only for a few moments and note the percussion and sound effects, both are equally impressive.

As we step into the second half of the album we find a mixture of cultures in the genre crossing Divine Grace (Kar Rehmatan), the mood here is beautifully fluent and obtains an element of a folk and traditional backdrop to its structure, especially with the lush acoustic guitar. Its comparatively gentle musical setting allows the vocal nuances to emerge with greater clarity and joy.

Our penultimate offering is entitled Refuge (Guru Ramdas Rakho Sarnayi), the mood is deeper and reflective; the plethora of instrumentation delivers a delicious plate of globally infused devotional music. The music seems to encourage the listener to relinquish the demands of the outside world, even if only for a few moments and thus obtain the freedom to drift into the timbre of a classy composition.

The concluding track Oneness (Ik Onkar) maybe the shortest track from the album, but its beauty is a smooth elegance of tone that is undeniable. At just over two minutes, it feels less like a conventional finale and more like a final breath. With the musical framework stripped back towards ambient textures and chant, the central idea of unity is allowed to settle without elaborate resolution.

Surrender by Hargun Kaur & Kirti Varsani is a fine album; it is the next generation of devotional albums, and one that has something for anyone who is a fan of multi-instrumental globally fused music. Surrender by Hargun Kaur & Kirti Varsani is a thoughtful and immersive devotional collection that brings sacred tradition and contemporary sound together with sensitivity, restraint and emotional purpose, and is without doubt one of the finest of its kind I have heard this year with ease.