Posted on: October 12, 2016 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0
Sukha - Rise CD Review

What Sukha does on their current album Rise is create a unique style of music that ties together folk-rock, rock, and alternative styles together with a singer-songwriter feel. There is a powerful one-two punch that begins the album; Ong Namo has vocals contributing to the overall melodies achieved by the band, while there is an approach taken during Wah Yantee that seamlessly links together Sarah McLachlan and Natalie Cole with Neil Young and Dave Matthews.

Rise (Ra Ma) showcases Sukha’s desire to continually innovate with their music. Sizzling guitar work punctuates this track, creating a secondary narrative element that pushes the vocals to an entirely higher plateau. The martial drums that play at the bottom of Gobinday Mukhanday do more than keep time. The images which they elicit during this song stands in bold opposition to the vocals and bass heard here. By having such a nuanced and deep sound present in each of the tracks on Rise, Suka ensure that one continually pops in the album to understand every note, arrangement, and song. Humee Hum pulls from the blues and country & western traditions; where many artists are more than happy to go into autopilot on the later reaches of their album, Sukha continues to experiment and innovate until the final statements on Rise.

Mul Mantra is the final song on Rise, creating a darker and more introspective sound for Sukha. The track ties up the different styles and approaches that listeners have experienced so fall on Rise while showcasing a potential venue for where the band may go on follow-ups to the title. The spoken vocals tat play behind the instrumentation are haunting, sticking with listeners long after Rise has ceased playing.

Top Tracks: Rise (Ra Ma), Gobinday Mukhanday

Rating: 8.0/10

Sukha – Rise / 2016 Self Released / 8 Tracks / https://soundcloud.com/sukha-the-band / https://www.facebook.com/Sukha / http://www.sukhatheband.com/

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