Premiere: Bhavana Reddy, ‘Stuck in a Valley’

Kevin Bronson on January 24th, 2014

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Bhavana Reddy’s debut EP is titled “Tangled in Emotions,” and its sonic roots are a tangle too, of her Indian heritage and contemporary pop artists such as Fiona Apple and Kimbra. The daughter of renowned Kuchipudi dancers Drs. Raja and Radha Reddy and a dancer herself, Bhavana derives her melodies from the ragas of Indian Carnatic music. But the final product is not what you’d call “world” music but a percussive, South Asia-flavored fusion of pop, jazz and blues. Reddy’s direct vocal stylings add a note of gravitas to “Tangled in Emotions” (due Feb. 8), which was made with engineer John Would (who played a similar role on Fiona Apple’s “Idler’s Wheel …” among many other credits) and features contributions from percussionist Blair Shotts, tablist Salar Nader and violinist Ray Suen. “Dreams float around,” she sings on “Stuck in a Valley,” and so does the DNA of pop music, from East to West and back again.

||| Stream: “Stuck in a Valley”