China

Another wonderful musical voyage from Chuck Jonkey and a coterie of excellent performers. Charana heads for India, arriving with "Taj Express," one of the best musical depictions of a train ever heard, and proceeds to go on from there. The music here is a fine-tuned blend of Indian music and western ideas, neither one overriding the other. Jonkey, who plays a variety of instruments that include his own guitar/sitar, is a excellent composer, keeping the rhythms and melodies interesting throughout and keeping an upbeat attitude to everything — he sounds as though he genuinely enjoys what he's doing, and isn't just out to make a quick buck from whatever new age fad is going at the moment. Tonally, the result is fresh, musically it's a delight, and, overall, it's highly recommended.