Relix Magzine Breathing Under Water far exceeds anything this genre has ever created... this record sets a new standard for global ears to judge by. XLR8R ...all boundaries dissolve on this masterpiece. The Boston Globe (Karsh) Kale and Anoushka Shankar do an extraordinary job of mingling musical traditions. Ravi Shankar has said he is waiting for the day when he will be known as Anoushka's father; he may not have long to wait. The Philadelphia Inquirer Another Shankar, Another Pop Star...Shankar displayed not only an impressive technical command, but a flair for making the sitar speak a number of musical tongues. The New York Times Somber and Soulful World Fusin Meets Dance Club...the sets most memorable parts were instrumental, when hybrid rhythms - with Mr. Kale's tablas boosted by a funk rhythm section and electronic beats - set off improvisations and dizzingly fast unison passages from Ms. Shankar on sitar and Ravichandra Kulur on wooden flute. Orlando Weekly Breathing Under Water explodes sonic conventions -- "PD7," a driving, atmospheric number that serves as the album's epic centerpiece, the glitchy "Slither" and "Oceanic" (a soaring two-part piece) have Kale and Shankar in full collaborative mode. Philadelphia Daily News Shankar and Kale's brand new "Breathing the Water" CD is a richly atmospheric co-mingling of mystical Indian flavors with rhythm-centric electronica, swirling trance and mainstream pop. Pop Matters Breathing Under Water is not only where music is going, it's where it's at. Los Angeles Daily News The blend of Indian classical, electronics, dance and folk has rarely sounded so natural. Monterey County Herald | April 5 2007 "Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of legendary sitar master Ravi Shankar presented herself as a brilliant figure in the center of her rotating cast of male Indian musicians. Her presentation ended with an amazing display of her virtuosic sitar skills, both melodic and rhythmically interesting to the last note." Modesto Bee, California | April 6 2007 "At the State Theatre, Shankar put on a dazzling show, effortlessly melding the ancient sounds of the sitar with modern electronic and rock textures. In Shankar's skilled hands, the ethereal instrument took on a life of its own, reinventing itself while still paying homage to its rich history." MP3.com | April 2 2007 "In a riveting set in San Francisco, daughter of legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar adds a new dimension to her father's music. SAN FRANCISCO -- Comparing Indian maestro Ravi Shankar's two daughters is en exercise in apples vs. oranges, but Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar share at least one thing in common: They were both born to play music..." SF Weekly | March 27 2007 "The artist's aesthetic unions reflect the global consciousness that's de rigueur among electronic dance communities across the planet. In lesser hands, such amalgams tend to feel like little more than trendy fashion statements. But Shankar's no poseur. She has lived her entire life as a universalist who disregards convenient borders and nurtures intercultural connections, be they musical or political; she's renowned as a performer in Europe, India, and the U.S., and is involved with both PETA and international AIDS-awareness organizations, like the Naz Foundation. Yet despite all of her high-profile activities, she also knows the value of doing nothing and is happy on occasion to "check out," as she likes to put it, disappearing for days at a time at raves in the middle of nowhere." Hyphen Magazine | March 19 2007 "The eclectic and international collection of cities she calls home reflects vibrantly in her open approach to playing sitar, both classically and in contemporary formats." Jazz Times | December 2005 "Anoushka Shankar... takes serene and confident steps away from her father's long shadow on Rise. The multicultural music on Rise speaks to a deeper sense of global bonds rather than the usual shotgun marriage of unrelated styles that the world-music aisles are rife with. The CD's nine meditative and often cinematic tracks offer a worldview, where the various native rhytms are melding into one another, and the phenomena is something to marvel at and ponder rather than celebrate on the dance floor..." World Music Central.org | October 3, 2005 "Anoushka Shankar has emerged from the shadows of her famed father and teacher Ravi Shankar in her latest offering, Rise, and journeyed beyond the musical traditions of India to create her own sound. Rise is not only a testament to her skill at the sitar, but to her mastery of composition... Rise is full of twists and turns of mood, but never fails to enchant. With Rise, Anoushka Shankar might have gone beyond the traditional Indian fare but her journey is full of flavor." PopMatters.com | Rating: 8/8 | October 13, 2005 "Pretty soon, people will stop having to mention the whole "she's Ravi's daughter" thing in every review.* Anoushka Shankar might end up being just as interesting, in her own way, as anyone else in her family. Yeah, I said it. Because, after the promise and guts shown in Rise, she's earned it." Ethnotechno.com | 5/5 stars | October 2005 "Rise's 10 songs are beautifully crafted. There are no divergences from tradition - each follows the parameters of a raaga, with personal flourishes. She has taken the emotional quality and rhythmic structures necessary but, through production and instrumentation, made each her own. From the opening "Prayer in Passing," a lush landscape of Pedro Eustache's bansuri and duduk and Ricardo Miño's piano orchestrated around Shankar's sitar, an emotional gravity refuses to suspend for 62 minutes." Paste Magazine | 4.5/5 stars | October 2005 "A brilliant exploration of light textured electronica weaving through inventive interprotations of India's musical heritage, her sitar playing is but one iridescent layer among a tasteful assemblage of veena, bonsuri, bass, and tablas. From the devotional "Prayer in Passing," to the heartbreakingly stunning "Ancient Love," Shankar's futuristic experimentation hits close to home in any corner of the planet. Recordonline.com | Septembeber 23, 2005 "Rise" is about bridging several types of music -- from electronic, jazzy ragas to exotic and intense wordless vocals. It's music that can be delicate and lyrical one moment and dense and deep the next. And while most of it is warm and accessible, the tracks with the Indian-accented, octave-climbing vocals of Shankar and other musicians are almost dizzying in their physical range and emotional fervor." Globalbeatfusion.com | September 2005 From the opening chords of "Prayer in Passing" -- a "morning raga that's very moody and simple" the depth of Anoushka's maturity reveals itself. Boston Herald | October 3, 2005 "The improvisational current that ran between father and daughter for three lengthy pieces was electrifying. Anoushka's approach was more aggressive and physical, a perfect complement to her father's jaw-dropping forays. Together they left the audience feeling that Indian classical music in the hands of the Shankar family is poised for another generation of transformation." Global Beat Fusion Press | September, 2005 "What she does embody, without a doubt, is an amazingly talented musician whose devotion to something beyond the day-to-day has the power to inspire millions. Her prayers are songs whittling away the tension of bodily life of those that listen." insidebayarea.com | May 17, 2005 Anoushka....is already considered to be one of the finest sitar players in the world. She shares an amazing musical bond with her father, one that seems entirely born from blood, but, more likely, stems from the sweat of years of practice. (Anoushka is, in fact, the only musician in the world to be trained solely by Ravi.) The music was intensely beautiful and audience members enjoyed it in a variety of ways. Some fans watched intently as the family of fingers crawled like tarantulas and flew like hummingbirds. Others simply closed their eyes and meditated to the worldly music. The Orion Online | May 11, 2005 Only two musicians sharing the same blood could play with such harmony... While the deep and obvious connection between the legend and his daughter were touching, its effect on the music left some people in the audience chuckling with glee as they embarked on extended note flourishes with themselves and the percussionist, making for a thoroughly enjoyable experience. All About Jazz | Review of MIDIval Punditz | 18 May, 2005 "The very title of “Rebirth” seems to celebrate its fusion of electronic keyboards and beats with flute which tenderly introduces (Anoushka) Shankar's sitar solo, full of energy and reverence, joyously spiritual, advancing the traditional sound of Indian sitar into the new millennium." Today | New Delhi, November 17, 2003 "Doe-eyed Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Pandit Ravi Shankar, dazzled Delhi in her acting debut Dance Like a Man last night. Equally at ease before the camera and a live audience, Anoushka won many a heart with her stunning performance. Directed by Pamela Rook (of the Train To Pakistan fame), Dance Like a Man is an adaptation of Mahesh Dattani play of the same name. The script revolves around the unrealised dreams of a couple transfered on to their young daughter Lata - effortlessly played by Anoushka. After spending a lifetime devoted to Bharatnatyam while fighting conventions, Jairam and Ratna pin their unfulfilled hopes on their daughter becoming a famous dancer. Anoushka does a great job of the role, making it hard to believe this was her silver screen debut. Her talent as a dancer shines through, as does her confidence - the multi-faceted beauty is undoubtably a natural." Asian Times | 6 Aug 2002 WOMAD - "Sitarist Anoushka Shankar was the big hit at a world music festival. Her mesmerizing performance brought the three-day WOMAD musical jamboree to a scintillating end." Bristol Evening Post | June 2001 "This was a breathtaking performance which showcased her prodigious talent..... With a talent like this it would be no surprise to see Anoushka create a similar buzz with Western audiences as her father did in the 60s." Evening Standard | 19 May, 2003 "As her confidence increased Anoushka demonstrated the astounding technical prowess that underpins her own flourishing solo career." Reading Eagle / Reading Times | 23 Oct 2000 "Anoushka ... charmed the audience ...her solo immediately revealed an artist of exceptional expressiveness as well as technical ability ...but far from being a clone of her famous father, Anoushka proved, as the evening went on, to have her own approach to the music, at times playful and flirtatious -; or, in the case of some of the faster, more rhythmic ‘gats' with drum accompaniment, brash, energetic, even jazzy." The Hollywood Reporter | 9 Oct 2000 "The young protégé... displayed an impressive technique and command of the sitar... there is no denying her early mastery of the instrument." [Carnegie Hall] Newsday | 9 Oct 2000 "Anoushka Shankar's opening performance showed how she takes her father's lessons and infused them with her own feelings. Unlike her father's pieces, Anoushka Shankar's are more direct, building from a quiet alap, or introduction, to a faster, happy ending ... Her approach is graceful and less aggressive than her father's, taking away some of the edge, making it slightly less jarring. The languid, dreamy quality of her work makes her the darling of the electronic music set ...The younger Shankar shows that while her father may have come "Full Circle" with his current tour, her journey is only beginning." [Carnegie Hall] Saint Petersburg Times | 28 Oct 1999 "Anoushka Shankar played an opening set, and her music was filled with the joy of youth. Speed, rambunctiousness and love of melody filled the hall when she soloed." (Florida) Gloucestershire Standard | 18 July 2002 Cheltenham Music Festival - "Improvised music was just awesome" Classic CD | July 1999 "...It cannot be denied that with Anoushka Shankar, a new chapter is being written." Toronto Star | 8 Nov 1999 "She dazzled the crowd as she heightened the tempo, her fingers danced up and down the 20 frets... Often playing complex double-time, both above and below the notes, improvising throughout, she displayed the type of sitar virtuosity that left little doubt about her ability to carry on her father's tradition." Japan Times | Feb 1998 "She represents a new breed of super-musician, trained classically in two traditions." Washington Post | Nov 1997 "She performed with exceptional clarity and speed, and showed remarkable facility in an instrument that most players have to practice for decades." New York Times | Nov, 1996 "Anoushka sent her fingers dancing over the arched frets with admirable ease displaying a subtlety and dignity way beyond her almost impossibly tender 15 years. Certainly she is fortunate to have her father as a teacher, but he too is lucky to have so willing a student. We all benefit from the relationship.......If indeed the torch was being passed to a younger generation, there was none more proud in Carnegie Hall than the father and Guru of 20th Century Indian Music." Daily Telegraph | 1995 "The hall rang with thunderous applause after she had played raga Tilak Shyam, one of her father's own creation....Judging from Anoushka's performance, Ravi Shankar has much to be proud of - the family musical tradition seems safe in his daughter's nimble fingers." >BBC Music Magazine | 1995 "Anoushka looks set to be as important a pioneer as her father" >George Harrison | 1997 "Most people are musicians simply because they play a certain instrument; when they play that instrument, the music appears. But Ravi -; to me, he is the music; it just happens to be that he plays the Sitar. And it's like that with Anoushka. She has that quality... she is the music." READ THE PRESS ARCHIVE