India.Arie’s Grammy nominated Acoustic Soul, was a hugely impressive debut and ‘Video’ one of the catchiest singles of recent years, and while nothing here immediately matches the best moments of her previous work, Voyage To India confidently continues to tread a similar path.
The strength of India’s work lies in its basic warmth and simplicity – eloquent songwriting and sparse guitar-centric arrangements follow a commendably restrained and meditative flow. Soul and gospel elements combine with her trademark folkish feel on all manner of songs of praise – India’s lyrics are incessantly inspirational, counting blessings and giving thanks for all the wonders of her world with lead single ‘Little Things’, going on to detail the divine aspects of nature in ‘God Is Real’. The obligatory ‘respect to the sistas’ numbers like ‘Talk To Her’ are accompanied by eulogising, yet sincere love ballads such as ‘Complicated Melody’ and ‘He Is Truth.’
Despite the potentially exhausting Oprah’s Album of the Month style positivity, Ms. Arie has a lightness of tone that stops her ‘message’ becoming too heavy. Definitely an album for some dedicated chill-out time and ultimately a rewarding listen.
seven/ten
fiona reid