COMPOSERS: Rahul Sharma
LABELS: Living Media India LTd
ALBUM TITLE: Rahul Sharma
PERFORMER: Rahul Sharma
The santoor (dulcimer) player rahul sharma reels off concept albums with the facility of Mendelssohn composing Songs Without Words. They tend to rely on a simple, catchy melodic line looping unhurriedly over lightly produced accompaniments based on keyboards and percussion. Sharma’s website sells them short by labelling them ‘new age’: whether they are called Mountain Trail or Maya: The Illusion (an earlier release) you couldn’t tell just by listening, admittedly, and one will be enough for most collections, but they are full of cultivated touches that reflect his pedigree. He includes a straight cover version of his father Shivkumar’s Evening Prayer, better recorded and only a degree less magical in delivery.