Ananda Xenia Shakti is a musical act that we’ve covered a few times now, and they’re always an interesting band to review. Unlike many acts, Ananda Xenia Shakti touts herself and her fellow performers the Love Power Band as spiritual healers on top of being performers. Their new single, “Love Is Where You Are,” has just released, and as such, we simply have to give it a closer look in our full review.
“Love Is Where You Are,” continues the band’s unique style of music, with many musical elements and lifted from Indian compositions and incorporated into a more modern form. Typically, this makes for some surprisingly relaxing tunes, but with this one, there’s a difference. “Love Is Where You Are,” sets itself apart by being an incredibly upbeat and catchy song as opposed to the typically more tranquil arrangements from the band.
There’s a nice Bhangra beat that keeps up throughout the song, along with some killer guitar riffs. It really adds a nice amount of atmosphere to the mostly simple song. It maintains this fairly upbeat rhythm, and even has some fascinating synth moments here and there. It makes for a fascinating listen, one that’s quite fresh but also familiar.
Ananda Xenia Shakti’s vocals on the album sound great, with her delivery being passionate and free. She matches up perfectly with the joyful vibe that the single gives off. Her voice is also well layered, and the overall production on the single is actually solid stuff. Despite its more ethnic and simple elements, there’s a good amount of polish in this single.
The songwriting is definitely interesting, with most lines being meant to be taken as a metaphor to the true meaning of the song. Lines like “feel the pain and don’t blame,” or “pollinate your inner lotus,” don’t mean much on the surface, but reveal a more subtle theme of self love and care. It’s an interesting way to get across a message of loving yourself, though it’s also one that fits the Ananda Xenia Shakti perfectly.
“Love Is Where You Are,” is a welcome change of pace for Ananda Xenia Shakti and the Love Power Band. It’s also solid proof that the musical act is fully capable of putting out some truly catchy music that still retains their unique style effortlessly. We’d love to see more of this style from the group, and we’re looking forward to what they have in the works!
–Jason Airy
