Devocean
Six Degrees, 2025
9/10
The Indian singer Manika Kaur embraces Sikh devotional ideas with her craft, and these genre mixing songs recruit traditional chants from around the globe, reimagined via modern sonic textures.
“Ahwen” starts the listen with much richness, where warmth and elegant strings surround Kaur’s lovely voice, and “Wakan Tanka” follows with a light buzzing and harmonic voices that are layered with beauty and grace.
“Aum” lands in the middle and builds into a rhythmic and mesmerizing album highlight that’s percussively strong, while the title track radiates a distinct dreaminess via colorful and soothing gestures.
Near the end, “Ong Namo” utilizes Kaur’s intriguing vocals amid a lush atmosphere which is cultured and enlightening, and “Wa He Gu Ru” exits with waves of breeziness and gorgeous instrumentation that’s heartfelt and timeless.
A highly authentic body of work that uses New Age, spiritual and world music to its advantage, Kaur’s flawless delivery suits the precise and globally appreciated instrumentation superbly.
Travels well with: Chandrika Tandon- Ammu’s Treasures; Ravi Shankar- Shankar Family & Friends