★★★★★
Even when she was learning to play sitar onstage beside her father, Anoushka Shankar never came off like Frank Sinatra Jr. or Dweezil Zappa. While Anoushka was always the disciple and Ravi the guru, she sounds plenty masterful on Traces Of You, a rich, diverse and poignant tribute to dead fathers created with her longtime musical partner Nitin Sawhney and featuring four vocals by half-sister Norah Jones...
- www.relix.com
2013-12-12
★★★★★
Anoushka Shankar has been marking out a difficult and fascinating path for herself. She started out as a sitar traditionalist, proving that she had all the chops and technical rigor of her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar. This brought her international fame even before she signed her first record contract (famously, at age 16). But she has branched out in the last few years. Her 2005 album Rise was full of exciting, pop-inflected songs that were still rooted in sitar and Hindi folk styles...
- www.popmatters.com
2012-07-02
★★★★★
Anoushka Shankar, daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankar, takes serene and confident steps away from her father's long shadow on Rise. It's the fourth CD for the 24-year-old sitarist, but it marks a striking departure from the Indian classical music presented on Anourag, Anoushka and Live at Carnegie Hall. Shankar develops her own brand of lush world fusion that incorporates the spirit and rigor of the raga while also taking it in myriad directions...
- www.jazztimes.com
2010-02-19
★★★★★
The offspring of legendary musicians don't usually inherit a full share of parental talent, but apparently, sitarist Ravi Shankar's daughter never got the memo. On Rise, Anoushka Shankar takes her music one giant step farther. She composed, arranged, produced and edited all nine tracks, playing sitar and keyboards throughout...
- www.globalrhythm.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
The daughter of Ravi Shankar moves far from the tradition on her fourth solo album, using her considerable sitar skills (understandably, she'll never be her father's equal, but who ever will?) as just part of her arsenal on an album that strives hard to blend the past and cutting edge...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
Breathing Under Water is a different animal altogether. The pair co-wrote eight of the 13 cuts together. Another, "Easy," was co-written with Norah Jones -- Anoushka Shankar's half sister -- and sung by her. Ravi wrote a two-part tune with his daughter and appears on the album as well. The other big name guest is Sting (it's a payback for Shankar playing on a few tracks of his in the past)...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
While the sitar is usually taught master to student in a male to male tradition, this beautiful daughter to renowned sitar master Ravi Shankar has been given access to the art. Debuting in 1994 and touring with Ravi since, this album of five compositions, four of which are Ravi Shankar's, is a fitting recording debut. The pieces begin with a slow introduction of fluid rhythm (alap or aochar) and build in crescendo to a spirited display of virtuosity with tabla accompaniment...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27