Jai Uttal - Thunder Love
When FindBliss asked Jai Uttal, one of the kirtan scene’s most beloved singers, what he does to follow his Bliss, he replied that he tries to stay in his heart and in truth and integrity. Jai Uttal’s heart, truth and integrity have brought bliss to numerous listeners, and his highly anticipated new album Thunder Love promises to bring bliss to many more.
The grooving tunes on Thunder Love are a bit of jazzy meets kirtan, lounge-y love songs that provide a new glimpse into the emotion. The lyrics range from the hypnotic repetition of traditional mantra to tracks that blend English and Sanskrit in seamless harmonies. When asked how he chooses what to record and how he incorporates the use of both languages, modern and sacred, Jai replied, “I follow my excitement and intuition.”
His excitement and intuition in this album brings him to explore the emotions of love. As Jai himself says, “I feel this album is about opening up to love—finally.” It’s a sentiment expressed through sound and for the listening, the tunes evoke the glimmering shine of dawn’s rays on a new day. In the third track, “Down on My Knees,” Jai interweaves English lyrics to croon that feeling of surrender we’ve all experienced on our own road to bliss.
Thunder Love also includes the traditional Sankrit mantra infused with repetitive devotion, such as “Om Namah Shivaya,” which is an invocation both to Shiva, the archetype of surrender, as well as to the internal aspect of the divine within each of us.. In “Never Felt This Love,” an English song with a jazzy beat that shows off Jai’s melodic voice, we all feel Jai’s triumphantly won devotion.. With these and other tracks (hey, we don’t want to give away all the surprises), Thunder Love will satisfy diehard Jai Uttal fans and provide the opportunity to introduce new listeners, who may not yet have stepped into a yoga studio, to these hypnotic beats.
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