LOTUS DREAM - Artisan Music Reviews

by RJ Lannan

New Age Guitarist and composer Shambhu is noted for his laid back, Yoga influenced recordings. His last three releases, Transcendence, Acoustic Oasis, and Reflections all have a meditative foundation that projects calming vibes. His newest album Lotus Dream is different. There is a unique vibe, something quite different than some of his previous works. They are all still his slightly chilled instrumentals, but on Lotus Dream there is a folksy, sometimes jazzy

atmosphere, more ambient than Indian influenced. Shall We has a folksy feeling to it. A friendly vibes exudes from it. When this music is playing no one is afraid to enter into the partnership, the friendship, or the casual persuasion. Shambhu’s tune is relaxed and warm and suggests what taking a chance means. Awakened Dream is a resonating ambient ballad

full of soft textures and pastel color that paint tranquil pictures in the mind. It offers pleasantries like a new, blue summer sky, the scent from an imaginary rose, or a shiny new bridge to cross. This tune has a warmth about it. A resonance that can be trusted.

On his tune Ananya, Shambhu opts for a brooding piano lead mixed with thoughtful electric guitar quavers for the main theme. The piece has an innate amount of energy that flows effortlessly. There are many meanings for the word Ananya, but I choose the interpretation of “endless”. The notes ring out with rich clarity and with a timeless assurance, soothing the worn and weary spirit. The best tune on the collection is clearly one called Resilience. Co-authored with jazz influencer Leo Steinriede, it has an incredible sense of balance. Flowing, lissome guitar notes counterbalance with a fluid melody to take the edge off. This song puts the dreams in Lotus Dream. The title tune Lotus Dream starts out with tinkling piano backed by what might be called the sound of melodic bells. The sound is light and ethereal. Luminous notes drifting in an endless sparkling sea.

Shambhu’s Lotus Dream does not end in anyone forgetting anything, but instead giving the listener a world in which to dream in without fear or consequences. My favorite on the album is a song called Blue Mantra. Blue as in sad, doleful and mantra as in prayer of hope seems to sum it up. The tune is created with bright guitar with soft resonation to produce muted polyphony. The melody has a memorable refrain once you’ve heard it. I wouldn’t have any problem putting this one on a loop.

With a little help from electronics the tune Prana Tides has an improv style that is gentle and free form. Not so much shapeless, but with ever changing boundaries of endless lengths and widening gyres. This is a multi-colored ocean with iridescent waves. Drifting is easy, and time is…what is time?

On Lotus Dream I see Shambhu’s ambient side and it is a side I like. There is a contemporary, almost smooth jazz like quality to the music that just seems organic and natural. All nine songs on Lotus Dream have an organic flow, all have the right kind of energy, and all have the ability to literally take you away. This is Shambhu’s tenth album to date and one of his best. Excellent.

- R J Lannan, ArtisanMusicReviews.com