I Bow to you Waheguru

Australian-born Sikh singer Manika Kaur returns with a second album, giving us a less conventional presentation of shabadkirtan (Sikh devotional singing), this time in aid of facilitating education for poor children in Punjab. Kaur's dulcet tones are perfectly suited to this more meditative style of singing, and her simple yet emotive melodies beautifully articulate the poetry she sings so hauntingly. Whenever it starts to sound a little bland, there's a handful of world-class musicians on hand to transform what might otherwise be a pleasant but forgettable listening experience into a memorable musical journey. Rakesh Chaurasia's bansuri (flute) and Jyotsna Srikanth's violin introduce some much-needed variety, with Circle of Sound's Soumik Datta and Bernhard Schimpelsberger contributing on the sarod and percussion respectively.

Throughout the album, Kaur's vocals are handled tastefully, allowing them the kind of gravitas so often compromised by the addition of a well-meant harmonium in contemporary kirtan. It is only the title-track featuring Talvin Singh, however, that fully reveals the power of her voice in a spiritually rousing climax to this happily unorthodox rendition of scripture.