Deva Premal: Into Silence, the Meditation Music

Sounds True M1258D
(www.soundstrue.com or www.whiteswanmusic.com)

Devotees of the German-born New Age singer Deva Premal will relish this alluring compilation of some of her most sensitive mantra chants. Particularly moving is her achingly pure soprano in “Om Hraum Mitraya” (“May the light of friendship shine”), an ancient Sanskrit mantra celebrating the 12 spiritual gifts of the sun, which include illumination, healing abilities, and spiritual magnetism.  “Om Asatoma” (“Take us from the false”) states: “Take us from the false to truth / From darkness to light.” This ancient Hindu prayer is found in a philosophical treatise from 800 B.C.E. Deva Premal wears all this learning lightly, and her hypnotic vocalizing makes age-old meditations sound fresh and immediate. We feel soothed and inspired by this artful CD, which transcends the greatest-hits format to attain the level of wisdom literature.