Countless fans have been introduced to
Krishna Das
through yoga classes, where his soothing rhythmic
chants
, preformed in a deep, rich timbre, complement instruction on the spiritual element of the exercise. Only those students inclined toward extra credit, though, are likely to know that the former
Jeffrey "K.D." Kagel
, renamed
after years of studying alongside his guru,
Mahara ji
, in India, is a one-time
rock
singer from Long Island, N.Y.
All One
,
Krishna
's ninth CD, delivers inward-looking listeners that much closer to recognizing the
chant
master's unlikely background on their own, though. Essentially an hour-long melodic recitation of the name
Hare Krishna
set to accompaniment that ranges from Indian to
classical
to
in style, the disc makes use of several
rock & roll
heavy hitters. Co-produced with
Walter Becker
(
Steely Dan
),
Jay Messina
Aerosmith
), and
David Nichtern
(who wrote
"Midnight at the Oasis"
finds
Becker
on bass,
Nichtern
on guitar, and
Def Leppard
's
Rick Allen
on drums. Which accounts for why, even on more sedate tracks, a certain
energy seeps through. That
manages that influence without allowing the disc to become a mongrelized slab of
meditation
-lite -- it's quite listenable in a head-clearing sort of way -- is a testament, maybe, to the concept that his burnished, entrancing voice comes from a place purer than most. ~ Tammy La Gorce