Satnam Galsian
Three of the pieces on this six-song EP are suhaaghs, traditional Punjabi wedding songs. But Galsian approaches them from a very feminist perspective. “Whispered Messages” finds the traditional lyrics rewritten to examine women’s submission and the patriarchy, one of three that have been reworked to carry a woman’s iron fist carefully hidden inside a rich velvet glove of singing. Under a simple exterior, she’s creating true subversion.
Musically, the highlight is the demanding “To Walk In Her Shoes,” a complex, entrancing Punjabi folk melody that’s executed with assurance and daring, and the skill of a tightrope walker high above the ground.
These are first steps on her own. But Fragmented Truth is a sure sign that Galsian has found her own voice and is using it to create something that’s pushing at the musical seams. Whatever ‘it’ may be, she has it.
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With her band, Kinaara currently quiet, English singer Satnam Galsian is starting to explore life as a solo artist, and doing it in a very stripped-back fashion: just her voice alongside Mac Volpe’s shruti box. But she’s still experiment and seeing where Indian and Western traditions can blend, as on the old Irish air “Lagan Love,” where her vocal ornamentation takes the traditional melody and weaves a lovely new tapestry.
