We can't think of many other performers like the singer/songwriter/dancer/actress Asha Puthli who have excelled in such a broad range of genres. From 60s psych, Classical Indian music, Free Jazz, Pop, Soul, Disco, to Rock, the list goes on. A 'best-of' or an 'essential collection' is always going to be a subjective thing, but for what is unbelievably the first official compilation covering the full breadth of Asha's illustrious career, we aimed to provide a snapshot into her ever-evolving musical journey and a tribute to the vast richness of her catalogue.
Vocalist Asha Puthli was well-known in her native India before she moved to New York and made a splash in the jazz world. For her Western recording debut, Puthli lent her vocals to "What Reason Could I Give" and "All My Life," a pair of ballads on Ornette Coleman's 1971 Science Fiction LP. She recorded two LPs for Columbia, 1974's Asha Puthli and 1978's The Devil Is Loose, but success in America eluded her, even as she matured into a European chart mainstay. Puthli's popularity grew not in the U.S. but in Europe where she signed a record deal with CBS. Her solo albums reflected her interest in pop, rock, soul, funk and disco. She gravitated toward the glam world of Elton John and T. Rex. Music critic Ann Powers in The New York Times called Puthli a "fusion pioneer". Music critic Robert Palmer called her singing "extraordinary". Her third solo album, The Devil is Loose, was called an instant classic by The New York Times. Thom Jurek of AllMusic called it " a masterpiece of snakey, spaced-out soul and pre-mainstream disco."
New edition of this deep spiritual jazz album Asha, first released in 1969 on ASHA Recording Co. Inc.
In the 1960s and 1970s Bollywood composers adventurously adopted the trippy guitars, spiralling synthesizers and ethereal vocals of psychedelia and mixed it with lusciously over-the-top Indian orchestrations. Jewels included feature songs by Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Iyer and yodeller Kishore Kumar. Bonus CD: The Rough Guide To R.D. Burman - This hand-picked bonus album spotlights the work of seminal composer R.D. Burman. He scored for over 300 movies over the years 1960 to 1990 and was the son of illustrious composer S.D. Burman, whose compositions are also heard on here.
The Sitar Beat series was built with the DJ in mind - collecting some of the wildest, heaviest and most psychedelic Indian Funk recorded and presenting it loud on wax, ready for the turntable.