Track Listing

1. Days of Fire - Natty, Nitin Sawhney
2. October Daze - Tina Grace, Nitin Sawhney
3. Bring It Home - Imogen Heap, Nitin Sawhney
4. Interlude 1: Ghost Image - Nitin Sawhney
5. My Soul - Paul McCartney, Nitin Sawhney
6. Interlude II: Soledad - Nitin Sawhney
7. Distant Dreams - Nitin Sawhney, Roxanne Tataei
8. Interlude III: Street Sounds - Nitin Sawhney
9. Shadowland - Ojos de Brujo, Nitin Sawhney
10. Daybreak - Faheem Mazhar, Nitin Sawhney
11. Interlude IV: Identity - Nitin Sawhney
12. Ek Jaan - Reena Bhardwaj, Nitin Sawhney
13. Transmission - Tina Grace, Nitin Sawhney
14. Interlude V: Tension - Nitin Sawhney
15. Last Train to Midnight - Aruba Red, Nitin Sawhney
16. Interlude VI: Ronald Gray - Nitin Sawhney
17. Firmament - Nitin Sawhney
18. Charu Keshi Rain - Nitin Sawhney, Anoushka Shankar

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73698 in Music
• Released on: 2008-11-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Album Description
2008 release, the eighth studio album by the multi-talented musician Nitin Sawhney. Known for his unique blend of Jazz, Electronica and World music, this latest offering encompasses all these influences and more. This album sees a confident and mature Sawhney collaborate with guest stars such as Paul McCartney, Imogen Heap and many more. 18 tracks. Cooking Vinyl.

Customer Reviews

Enthralling and emotional. Another great achievement.
Nitin Sawhney simply doesn't make bad albums.
Just as the British/Asian musician is equally comfortable as a producer, DJ, classical composer and writer, he is also well versed in just about every musical style from around the globe.
"London Undersound", his eighth studio album, may contain some controversial elements and observations, but it's never less than an enthralling listen that showcases some incredible talent and a lot of thought-provoking sentiment.
Sawhney himself describes it as "a collection of thoughts, ideas, feelings and catharsis in a city of immense diversity, imagination and beliefs", attempting to put into words the "threatening and insidious" atmosphere that he believes has enveloped London since the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks.
A beguiling mix of electronica, jazz and world music from this extraordinary composer is lent extra weight by his attempt to evoke the diversity of multicultural London.
This is a powerful album about London from one of Britain's most interesting musicians. "Days of Fire", the opening track, is likely to receive the most attention. It is co-written with Natty, who by a scary coincidence was a witness to the 7/7 bus explosion and the shooting two weeks later of a Brazilian man, Jean Charles De Menezes.
With an exciting list of collaborators, including Paul McCartney, Tina Grace, Spanish group Ojos de Brujo and sitarist Anoushka Shankar, London Undersound reflects the city's diversity as well as its concerns.
Collaborators ranging from Paul McCartney (who has penned a touching, astonishing love song to ex-wife ) to young British Indian singer Reena Bhardwaj (magical) contribute to a warm confluence of voices and sounds.
Bollywood singer Reena Bhardwaj also returns after working with Sawhney on previous albums, Human and Philtre.
Her vocals on one of the stand-out tracks, "Ek Jaan", are achingly beautiful.
A feeling of sadness runs through the entire work and provides an interesting angle on London Undersound's most accomplished track.
"My Soul" is performed in the raw by a clearly emotional Paul McCartney. It was written and recorded by McCartney and Sawhney during the heat of the former Beatle's divorce from Heather Mills.
On the surface, McCartney is commenting on the pressure of conducting a relationship in the glare of the media, but it feels like he is also facing up to an old age alone. It is a bitter-sweet, reflection and is his best work in years.
It's fair to say that Sawhney has achieved and even surpassed his goals with London Undersound and crafted an album that's relevant to everyone. It's another great achievement from this immensely talented performer.
Highlights : "Firmament", "Days Of Fire", "October Daze", "My Soul", "Daybreak", "Distant Dreamsand" and "Days of Fire" feauring rapper Natty.
Breathing Under Water
Man Like I
In the Mind of Nitin Sawhney

An Aural Journey
Nitin Sawhney's new endeavor, London Undersound, is a surreal journey. As in his other albums, he blends myriad sounds into a cohesive and interesting unit. Drawing from international sources as far as India, and as close as Natty's reggae, this album is rich. Worth listening to a few times on repeat just to delve into it. Ek Jaan is one of my favorite tracks, it exhibits that slow trip-hop vibe with international influences. Overall a great addition to any 'chill-lounge' collection.

Global Journey through a Variety of Emotions
First, the fact that I didn't give this album five stars isn't a reflection of the quality of the music, but is simply a way to give some basis for my judgement (Five Star albums are classics IMO - i.e. Radiohead's Kid A, Michael Jackson Off the Wall etc).

Back to the point. This album is fantastic. I haven't had it long enough to determine whether or not it'll be in heavy rotation, but it's definitely great for a global musically journey. If you can, grab the "bonus track" version. Definitely an album with dark undertones, which if you're familiar with Nitin's music, shouldn't be at all surprising given his penchant for mirroring his music by various relevant political and social issues.

If you can, cop the Bonus Track Version as some of the remixes give an interesting twist to the original tracks (namely Distant Dreams, Shadowland and Ek Jaan).

Favorite Tracks: Distant Dreams (Bossa-ish rhythm with smokey vocals), Shadowland, Bring It Home feat Imogen Heap ("typical" Nitin with a drum and bass infused break), Daybreak and Ek Jaan.

Enjoy! If you're a fan of Nitin Sawhney or globally-infused "electronic" (no, not duff-duff beats but forward-looking rhythms and drum kicks) music it's well worth the money!