Sitarist, Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the late great sitar maestro, Ravi Shankar, just released a single from her upcoming album, both entitled Traces of You. This is her first album following the her father’s death last December.
The single “Traces of You,” is a family affair. The song features her half-sister, music sensation Norah Jones, also a progeny of Ravi Shankar. Joe Wright, Anoushka’s husband and director of award-winning films including Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, and Anna Karenina, directs the video.
The song is a heartfelt, melodious ballad to those who we have loved and lost. The chorus lyrics say, “Traces of you linger like a tear drop, Fresh upon the air, My heart sings for you, Play me like a rain cloud, Sounds upon the air.” Given these lyrics and the collaboration between Anoushka and Norah on this song, it definitely seems like a tribute to their father. On her web site, Anoushka says of the new song, “People who have gone, are still here, in us. Places we came from, are carried to the places we go.”
Musically, it artfully blends Anoushka’s sitar stylings, Norah’s soulful voice, and the tabla, thereby also melding elements of Hindustani and Western contemporary music. The full album, Traces of You, will be released on October 22. Anoushka will tour in its support starting this fall.
After 15 years developing and leading innovative programs in the social change sector, Kavita Das now serves as a nonprofit consultant and writes nonfiction and creative nonfiction. Connect with Kavita on Twitter @kavitamix.
What a way to bring the family tradition full-circle!