Sharada Shashidhar Explores Spiritual Depths in New Album ‘Soft Echoes
#sharadashashidhar #vinyl #indiemusic
Los Angeles-based vocalist, composer, and producer Sharada Shashidhar is renowned for her profound awareness of the cosmos and her ability to blend this understanding into her music. Her journey began with her 2020 debut album, Rahu, which showcased her voice amidst smoky, post-beat-scene soundscapes, reflecting on the collective unconscious and the energy exchange between all living things. With her latest work, Soft Echoes, Shashidhar takes a bold step forward, shifting from her previous hip-hop inclinations to embrace expansive compositions infused with jazz and Indian classical influences.
Soft Echoes represents a significant evolution in Shashidhar’s sound. Moving away from the hip-hop elements of her earlier work, she now creates a swirling, spiritual fusion of jazz and Indian classical music. This new direction highlights her versatility and depth as an artist. Drawing inspiration from her extensive collaborations within LA’s experimental jazz scene, including work with Carlos Niño, Zeroh, and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Shashidhar’s latest project marks her first venture as a bandleader.
The recording of Soft Echoes took place over three distinct sessions at Altamira Sound in Alhambra, California. Despite the full band not being present simultaneously, the album resonates with the cohesive energy of a unified group. The ensemble features Anna Butters on bass, Julian Rodriguez on keys, Devin Daniels on saxophone, and Timothy Angulo on drums. Together, they create a soundscape where splashy drums intertwine with skronking saxophone on “Canyon Song” and mushrooming synth tones blend with rippling Rhodes piano on “Luckiest.” Shashidhar’s elegant voice anchors each track, sometimes stretching gracefully between instruments and other times scattering through psychedelic delay.
Shashidhar describes the album as having “two poles,” illustrated by the whimsical, buoyant opener “Soft Echoes” and the darker, more anxiety-ridden closer, “New Echoes.” Despite the varying emotional spaces of the songs, the album maintains a reflective nature throughout. The record can play like a loop, with Shashidhar entering a portal “into the endlessness” during “New Echoes,” only to return to the beginning, contemplating the strangeness of being alive.
For Soft Echoes, Shashidhar’s primary goals were to trust her intuition and “play without judgment,” allowing her body to guide the music naturally. This process of presence and exploration enabled her to unlearn rigid structures and rediscover the joy of creating for oneself. The album became a practice of being in the moment, capturing the essence of spontaneity and introspection.
In Soft Echoes, Sharada Shashidhar leads listeners on a journey through the intricate landscapes of her mind, traversing its peaks and valleys in search of greater connection. She aims to take her audience to various emotional places, evoking a range of feelings through her music. As she continues to evolve as an artist, Shashidhar’s work remains a testament to her unique ability to blend spiritual and musical exploration, creating a deeply immersive experience for her listeners.
With Soft Echoes, Shashidhar has crafted an album that not only showcases her growth as a musician but also invites listeners to join her on a reflective and transformative journey. The album is a testament to her ability to blend diverse musical influences into a cohesive and spiritually resonant whole, offering a unique and enriching listening experience.
Learn more about Sharada Shashidhar
