India.arie

By Peter Boskey

India.arie released her second Motown album “Voyage to India,” and it is just as soulful as her first, “Acoustic Soul.” The album contains 16 tracks, three of which are interludes, and all blend together to make a good “chill” album.

The album begins with an interlude called “Growth,” which starts the album off on a mellow, lamenting tone. “Little Things” is the first song, and has a funky, driving beat backing India’s thick harmonies. A beat very similar to something heard by N’Sync is heard on the next track “Talk to Her.” Though the beat is a bit too poppy, she makes up for this with her lyrics. She preaches that no matter how mad you are at a woman, you should remember that “She’s somebody’s baby/she’s somebody’s sista’/she’s somebody’s mama.”

“Slow Down” is an upbeat, guitar based track, while “The Truth” is a standard modern female R&B love song. Nothing too impressive.

The producers snuck a djembe (African drum) in the next track “Beautiful Surprise,” which was quite a shock because it is rare to hear real percussion in modern R&B.

Then there is the second interlude titled “Healing,” where India sings over the same exact lamenting guitar hook as “Growth.” “Get it Together” is an uplifting song that backs India’s soulful voice and guitar with a strong beat and heavy bassline. The Latin jazz influenced “Headed in the Right Direction” combines a perfect blend of jazz guitar and bass to an R&B drumbeat. The acoustic guitar solo that opens the track is light and perfectly placed. The only problem is that the producers used synthesized Latin percussion. Had they used real congas, the sound would have been much more authentic.

“Can I Walk With You” is a perky song about finding someone to walk through life with. “The One” offers a smooth blend of guitar, bass and electric piano a bit more reminiscent of older R&B. After all, she is signed with Motown. India sings rich, full harmonies over a folk guitar in “Complicated Melody,” a song about relationship troubles.

The third and final interlude is “Gratitude.” Again, India sings over the same guitar hook about dealing with emotions. “Good Man” contains one of the better guitar riffs on the album and is about a spouse dying. “Voyage to India” is definitely not the album to throw on to get the party started. It does drag a bit and many of the songs sound very similar (almost every song is based around a repetitive acoustic guitar riff). Though the songs sound the same, India changes the tones of many songs by using her voice, and that takes talent.