Sprawling strings, horn blasts, spy-surf guitar, go-go/garage grooves, blunted beats... you say you've been in this neck o' the woods before? Well, yeah, the album is heavily steeped in a mix of trip-hop, acid-jazz, and lounge exotica, all wrapped around sex-kitten coos that would make Brigitte Bardot blush. But Anjali breathes new life into tired genres with her quirky incorporation of sitar, tabla, finger cymbals, and other Indian-traditional sounds. She has a flair for tight songwriting and intriguing, dynamic production -- she's not just window-dressing for a couple of paunchy studio dudes.
The mood is far from uniform: "Asian Provocateur" and the instrumentals "Turn It On!" and "Kandivali Gulley" whoosh by like exhilarating car chases through narrow alleys, while "Rainy Day" and "A Humble Girl" laze seductively on baroque-pop sofas. There's even room for the Primal Scream-like menace that grips the brilliant "Ain't No Friend."
Make sure your schedule is clear when you step into Anjali's sensual World, because you won't wanna leave anytime soon.
