Santhosam

Priya Ragu

Erschienen am 20.10.23 bei Warner Records
Künstler: Priya Ragu
Genre: Soul

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"I took a leap of faith ... Just look at me now/ Wake up to things I really want to do, do, do," Priya Ragu sings on "School Me Like That," a shot of smooth R&B with tabla beats. Pursuing this kind of music is not what Ragu's parents—Sri Lankan-Tamil refugees who fled to Switzerland to escape civil war—expected of her. Music was all around her growing up, as her family hosted jam sessions in part to instill the music of their homeland, including Kollywood soundtrack songs, in their children, but Western pop was considered obscene. That didn't stop Ragu and her brother, now a producer known as Japhna Gold, from indulging secretly, but it did stop her for years from pursuing her dream: She worked as an airline accountant before finally coming to the US to try and make it, releasing her 2021 mix tape damnshetamil to critical claim. Tellingly, the title of Santhosam, her debut LP, translates from Tamil to "happiness." It opens with "Ammama's Note," a short clip of Ragu's grandmother asking her to consider an arranged-marriage proposal, and cruises right into cool "School Me Like That" and its message of independence: "Girls can't be choosy like this/ Girls can't be moody like this … Look at me now, I'm good." A call to the dance floor, "One Way Ticket" is Western disco with Tamil flavor. But that's just one side of Ragu. She also raps on twisty "Hit the Bucket," which evokes Kollywood street-dance scenes, and dips into lush soul for "Let Me Breathe (Reprise)," with its breathy flute and dreamy strings. Set to Tamil fast beat, bilingual "Adalam Va!" blends in electro pop flourishes and infectious, Cab Calloway-esque high energy. Impressive "Black Goose," written after George Floyd's death at the hands of police, hits hard—"Don't shoot!"—with marching rhythm and MIA-worth delivery: "Officer, don't shoot/ I got so much shit to do/ Gotta get back to my family/ Plus rent is overdue … I just really want to live/ I just want to breathe." There is smooth Dua Lipa style pop ("Easy," sunny feel-good "Vacation"), plenty of R&B ("CornerStore" and synth-buzzy "Uyire") and more Kollywood influence ("Escape"). Built around a cool, theatrical piano riff, "Power" is sophisticated dance music, with disco strings arranged by Indian composer Bala. And closer "Mani Osai," a lovely, warm bit of traditional Tamil folk, marks a yearly family tradition in which Ragu, Gold (who also produced Santhosam) and their father write a song together—bridging her two worlds. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

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Santhosam

Priya Ragu

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Ammama's Note