Human

Interested in a record uniting Natasha Atlas, Enoch Powell, Maggie Thatcher and Martin Luther King? Nitin Sawhney follows up his Mercury nominated opus with another ambient trip-hop/Indian classical soundclash drenched in spirituality and reflection. While its predecessor sometimes suffered from being spoiled with too many ingredients, Human is much cohesive.

Sawhney has assembled a stellar cast of cameo vocalists better known for their backing singer roles with Blur (Alani) and The Streets (Kevin Mark Trail). It’s a concept album (gulp!) of sorts, dealing with the passage of time from birth to death in a meditative and moody fashion. Archives of speeches by Powell and MLK make unlikely bedfellows on ‘Say Hello’. Meanwhile, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night gets a look in on ‘Waiting (O Mistress Mine)’ as read by Zubin Varla from the stage version of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children. Yep, it’s a politically aware literary affair.

If there is any fault to be found with Human, its that often it can be a bit too smooth and slick for its own good at the cost of being a bit more raw and hard-hitting. You could call it coffee shop syndrome if you like – a bit like listening to Massive Attack without the grit or paranoia. Proprietors of trendy bars and eateries looking for an intelligently swish soundtrack take note.