Sheila Chandra – Quiet!

“One of the most beautiful voices on earth,” Sheila Chandra first rose to prominence as the singer of raga-based UK pop band Monsoon. In 1982, the group’s debut single “Ever So Lonely” became an unexpected global hit, making history in the process as Chandra (only 17 at the time) became the first South Asian woman to appear on the UK’s “Top of the Pops.” The group would dissolve shortly after in order to focus on Chandra’s solo career. 1984’s Quiet! presents a more experimental side to Chandra’s music and is the first album to feature the singer’s trademark wordless vocals, which draw from the tradition of Konnakol, the art of performing percussion syllables vocally in South Indian Carnatic music. The 10-song cycle is loosely inspired by Laure Anderson’s “Oh Superman” and features layers of Chandra’s deeply hypnotic vocalizations accompanied by piano, sitar, and other traditional Indian instruments.

Recommended – Full Listen