Wanderer

Album review

Some records are indisputably world music. Others are much more worldbeat, poking a toe into other cultures while retaining more mainstream elements of their own country's musical sound. This is the latter. The melodies are American and reasonably catchy, but dressed in Indian colors that fit surprisingly well. The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Gardner Cole, it might not be the spiritual sound they discuss in the liner notes, but it's certainly pleasant, and at times quite wonderful, when violinist Lily Haydn lets loose. There's really nothing to criticize here (except perhaps the production on a couple of tracks, where the meters sound as though they're far into the red); it's simply a pleasant record. And that, unfortunately, is the damning with faint praise. It's catchy, but there's little that truly sticks in the mind. Everything is competent and enjoyable, but not especially memorable. There's little doubt Cole's heart is in the right place, and he obviously studied Indian music before grafting it onto his own. But the foreign element still feels to be that -- foreign, never completely integrated into the whole. Still, a pleasant listen.
© Chris Nickson /TiVo