Track Listing

1. The River
2. Eastern Eyes (feat. Natacha Atlas)
3. Say Hello
4. Falling Angels
5. Falling (feat. Aqualung)
6. Heer
7. Fragile Wind
8. Promise
9. Chetan Jeevan (Conscious Life)
10. Rainfall
11. Waiting (O Mistress Mine)
12. Raag
13. The Boatman

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15618 in Music
• Released on: 2006-07-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Human is the sixth album by Mercury Music prize nominee Nitin Sawhney, whose career has ranged from helping devise the comedy series Goodness Gracious Me to writing for Sinead O'Connor. In between, he has made a series of albums in which he has reconciled his experiences as a British-Asian with his internationalism, his ethnic roots with the eclectic musical environment in which he has found himself. Despite the numerous guest artists it features, from Blur collaborator Alani to Natacha Atlas, Human is Sawhney's most personal album to date.

Inspired by a reading of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and Experience", Human is essentially autobiographical, commencing with "The River", an allusion to the Ganges and the life and death cycle, moving onto his often difficult British upbringing in which he experienced racism via Enoch Powell's speeches, physically in the playground and even from his teachers (one of whom, he learned, was a National Front member). Disillusionment dawns but then, as he's enriched by this grim wisdom, optimism springs anew.

All this is tracked musically by a mosaic of styles (Sawhney deplores the term "fusion", with its implication that certain things don't "naturally" belong together), ranging from flamenco to electronica. Although never abrasive, Human is a ruminative album which doesn't leap out at you--you must come to it. Nonetheless, highlights include "Rainfall" (reminders of Stevie Wonder) and "Heer", an ancient raga whose delivery here is couched in movingly desolate tones. --David Stubbs

CD Description
Sixth album from world fusion maestro follows 2001's 'Prophesy'. Forging ahead with his trademark collision of disparate styles including jazz, blues, soul, funk, Indian classicaland drum 'n' bass, 'Human' showcases a deeper sense of spirituality and peace than before and features vocals by previously unknown young singers, most of them discovered by Sawhney himself. Includes the single 'Falling'.

Customer Reviews

A return to greatness
I have all Nitin Sawhneys albums and my favourites are the early ones (Migration and Displacing the Priest). Maybe its because they had more focus than Beyond Skin and Prophesy or perhaps the Indian influence was much more to the fore. This album at last manages to bring together Nitin's diverse style into a more coherent (and listenable) whole. I'm not one for the political/personal musings that Nitin goes in for (very sixth form), instead concentrating on the music. The tracks Falling, Heer, Fragile Wind and Raag alone justify the purchase of this CD. The rest are easy enough to listen to which is no bad thing. If you've never tried Nitin Sawhney I would strongly recommend this album over the last two.

Nitin Sawhney - Human. A must have for 2003.
Sawhney’s latest offering is an excellent display of his natural musical talent. Unlike Prophesy, Sawhney has a much more personal approach to his music. As with his previous albums he still manages to fill the void between Eastern and Western musical influences, pulling the two together creating an delicate mix of styles.
He continues to use the infectious vocals that we sampled on 'Beyond Skin' and 'Prophesy' and combines this with his natural chilled out style. 'Fallen Angels' is probably one of the most beautiful and serene tracks he has ever laid down in the studio, but be prepared for the more dance-orientated tracks such as 'Eastern Eyes' and 'Raag' as they may come as a shock to some, and do take a bit of getting used to. It is clear to the listener that Sawhney is experimenting with new styles and is moving forward in a new direction. We can expect great things to come after this album and if you are a fan of Nitin’s previous work then this is a must have for your CD collection.

He's done better
Very good album, but not his best. If this is the first you hear, don't be put off. The man is a genius and his older work is the kind of music you don't hear often enough. Beautiful, soulful and original. The kind of stuff that can really turn your day around from bad to 'what a wonderful world'.