Floating in a sky of billowy clouds one moment, soaking in a vat of warm vibes the next—that sums up Sharada Shashidhar’s A Foot on the Ground. To switch metaphors for a moment, it’s an enchanted stream of oft-wordless vocals that flows into a rhapsodic river of experimental jazz, alternative R&B, and Indian classical music, with the waters rising and falling, rising and falling, while it feeds into an ocean of bliss. It reminds me, in the best of ways, of Holly Palmer’s equally mesmerizing Metamorphosis—another Colorfield Records release—from last year. But where Palmer’s album is essentially pop art in sonic form, Shashidhar’s is more akin to abstract impressionism set to sound. It’s an intoxicating listen.
The nine-track, 31-minute suite, which Colorfield’s Pete Min co-produced alongside Shashidhar, was recorded over the course of two years at Lucy’s Meat Market in Los Angeles; Caleb Buchanan contributes upright bass, Timothy Angulo and Mark Guiliana thump the drums, Devin Daniels blows the sax, and Benny Bock handles synths. Shashidhar, in addition to singing all parts herself, plays piano, keys, pump organ, synths, bass, electronic drums, and drums on various tracks. Shashidhar and Min approached the project as if it was a spiritual quest, allowing the music to lead them. A good example of that is the first track, “With Myself,” which her wordless vocals drifting across a string arrangement by Patrick Warren as if the billowy clouds I referenced above. The press release quotes her as explaining, “I came to the studio on this day, particularly drained and vocally frustrated. I sang and played piano, and improvised quietly and honestly. With the support of Patrick’s beautiful string arrangement, it blossomed into a committed moment with myself.”
“Escape Artist” swaps the strings for a jazzy undertow, while the synth-driven “Future Encounters,” an instrumental, expands upon the theme with help from Daniels’ soulful sax. “Reassurance,” for its part, flashes further into the future thanks to the use of a vocoder, while Shashidhar muses about love and how it helps us survive troubled times. Syncopated beats and waterfalls of wordless vocals accent “Dancing in Comfort,” a slow waltz of a tune that essentially harmonizes her heartbeat with the listener’s. “One Foot on the Ground” extends the emotive vibe; it’s a magical track that finds Shashidhar’s vocals engulfing the soul in the most pleasant of ways. “Always Returning” injects a little discord into the proceedings, setting the stage for what she says is her favorite song on the album: “Arches.” The album closes with another wordless treatise, “Carving Faces,” with her vocals buttressed by whooshing synths and a soothing sax; it’s the slow exhale the mindful among us practice when meditating.
The press release quotes Shashidhar as saying that she hopes listeners “come away feeling like at least one aspect of me could be seen in them. I want it to excite someone into trying something new. If they listen a second or a third time, they get to see a new focal point and it sounds completely different. I want them to feel challenged but still comforted like there is a familiarity to these songs.” As someone who has returned to A Foot on the Ground time and again since mid-March, when it first entered my life, I can report she has succeeded. I’ve never not felt something new from the album—similar, in a sense, to how the semi-abstract impressionist art of Luana Asiata impacts me. (But unlike Asiatia’s artwork, Shashidhar’s is eminently affordable!) It’s a soulful work, one well worth experiencing. Highly recommended.
The Old Grey Cat 