REVIEW: India.Arie Wows Uptown Crowd

Thursday July 21, 2011

from Napa Valley Register

India.Arie wows Uptown crowd on third valley visit
By L. Pierce Carson

Grammy Award-winning soul/rhythm ‘n’ blues singer/songwriter India.Arie is a diehard optimist.

Nothing wrong with embracing fellow man and championing world peace, mind you, but the internationally successful recording artist continues to push the envelope in song and deed.

Locals were initially exposed to her mantra during appearances at the Robert Mondavi Summer Music Festival in 2003 and 2005.

Cloaked in a mystical aura as distinct as her colorful dress, India.Arie brought her latest musical ministry to Napa’s Uptown Theatre Sunday night. This time around, she teamed up with Idan Raichal, an Israeli singer/songwriter known for his Idan Raichal Project, a fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts and Middle Eastern music.

India.Arie and Raichal have collaborated on a new recording project they call “Open Door” and are on the road exposing audiences to its message. Besides the mesmerizing songs they’ve composed, the pair are leading the charge to transform the way world leaders deal with conflict — away from adversarial approaches and toward collaborative problem solving.

“We all want peace, love and prosperity,” the two musicians sang Sunday, lyrics contained in “Gift of Acceptance,” a song they initially offered at Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies last year.

Their eclectic performance allowed the audience to soak up the extensive talents of Raichal and fellow musicians on their initial visit to Napa, as well as decide if they like the tack India.Arie is taking with “Open Door.”

Raichel told the most appreciative crowd that he’d been an India.Arie fan for years and how they’d met up when she visited Israel. They clicked artistically, since she had “always wanted to sing in a foreign language,” he noted. “It felt right,” India.Arie said of learning to sing in Hebrew.

Before teaming up on a haunting “May Na Har” (River Waters), sung in Hebrew, Raichal urged listeners to accept art as intended, not to boycott it because of political leanings. “India is the healer … she only wants to spread love,” he declared.

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