Manish Vyas
Mystical Songs of Love
Manish Vyas’s ninth album, Secret of Love, means dynamic rhythms, sensuous vocals, and translating in-depth experiences from inside India’s sacred temples, bazaars, and cultural influences to Western ways. He is constantly reinventing musical forms from his native India and beyond. This brilliant new album invites dance, romance, and a vast access to feelings via East Indian mantras, Asian fusion and dance beats for yoga dance, ecstatic dance, and music that inspires the imagination.
Manish Vyas (who has performed with Snatam Kaur, Deva Premal & Miten, and Prem Joshua) has an affectionate yet powerful voice, revealed via outstanding compositions joined by the sensuality of a fine combination of Indian instruments. The assortment of colors from Manish’s musical palette reflects this celebration of love, traversing the entire range of emotions: mystical, mournful, celebratory, full of longing. On seven tracks, Manish’s soaring, sensuous voice is framed by traditional Indian instruments such as the santoor, sarangi, dholak, tabla, and bansuri flute as well as by violin, keyboards, bass, drums, electric piano, and subtle programming. Spiritual choral background vocals contribute to the lush soundscape. Vyas successfully blends elements of Indian pop and folk music, Qawwali (a form of Sufi devotional music), and ghazal poetry as he reimagines facets of India’s spiritual heart. These songs are mantras and mystical love poems put to music.
Manish Vyas’s musical talents place him at the forefront of a new generation of artists who have experienced an abiding and intimate connection with both their guru and the modern world. His own solo work pushes boundaries beyond the mantra and New Age genres and into the broader realm of world music. His music ranges far and wide—from the pulsing beats of the dance floor to music for relaxation and soaring imagination. But it always reflects his spiritual, Indian musical roots. WhiteSwanMusic.com
—LLOYD BARDE (LLOYDBARDE.COM)