Recording of the Week, Vidya - Adi Shakti

When Vidya-Liselotte Sundberg – known widely as ‘Vidya’ – lost her mother in 2015, she returned to her native India to posthumously connect with the woman who gave birth to her. This poignant and deeply personal experience resulted in the creating of her critically lauded album, The Papillon (2022). Adi Shakti is an extension of that journey, reflecting on the emotional process of finding and subsequently losing her biological mother.

Born in Pune in western India, Vidya grew up in Gävle (where she honed her musical skills) on a rich diet of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell. In recent years, she has recorded with jazz drummer Jon Fält and acoustic bass player Magnus Bergström. The trio are aligned by the belief that all aspects of music are worth exploring, emphasising the value of appreciating each other's unique musical expressions to allow room for individual creativity and spontaneity. On Adi Shakti, the acclaimed ECM-recording guitarist Rob Luft – a mutual friend of Fält’s, and no stranger to our editorials – joined them for the first time, co-composing two of the songs (‘The Field’ and ‘Desert Blues’) together with the vocalist, as well as helping to produce the album.

It was while working on her last album in Sweden that Vidya received news of her adoptive mother’s severe illness. In June 2022, just weeks after the musician first shared her story with the world, this other significant figure in her life also passed away. In the her own words, “Suddenly, two strong bonds of mine ceased to exist. Somehow with this, a possibility came to find pieces inside of me, never yet discovered.” It was around this time when the musician found comfort in a brief, ancient poem by Rumi, the mystical Persian scholar of the 13th century. Drawing on a feeling of deep connection and intuition in her music-making process, Vidya integrated the poem's spiritual wisdom with the Sanskrit mantra 'Adi shakti', symbolising primal power. By acknowledging the divine essence inherent to the act of creation, the musicians effortlessly access a realm "beyond ideas of wrongdoing or rightdoing," facilitating a release from barriers that hinder progress, thus paving the way for innovation.

Although Vidya was unfamiliar to me before this album's release, a glance at her bandmates hinted strongly at her own talent. Firstly, there's Bergström: a respected Swedish jazz musician based in Gothenburg, whose connection with Vidya dates back to their initial meeting at music college in 2002. Here, the double bassist’s performance cradles the vocalist's voice like a warm embrace, providing gentle, nuanced support that enhances every note. Meanwhile, Fält’s drumming radiates an electric energy, filling the air with a vibrant, palpable excitement. And, of course, Luft's ethereal guitar playing blends seamlessly with Vidya's agile touch on the Rhodes piano, leading us with an uplifting sense of enchantment.

Adi Shakti presents a compelling blend of genres – folk, jazz, and pop – that showcases Vidya’s masterful touch in songwriting. Each track leaves sufficient room for collaborative creativity while maintaining a distinct rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment that underpins the entire album and provides a sturdy foundation for the music to flourish. Moments of solos and textural exploration allow for tangents that venture into unexpected territories, before gracefully returning to the song's core themes. Throughout, the artist's unique voice, with its hint of Carnatic ornamentation, demands patience but ultimately rewards listeners with its evolving charm. This fusion of a pop sensibility with a jazz-infused palette creates a musical landscape that takes time to unravel, but reveals its depth and beauty with each subsequent listen.