C
oming from a family heavily involved in the teachings of
their Sikh guru, it was almost pre-ordained that Manika
Kaur would use her beautiful voice for devotional music.
Kaur's early recordings were in English with western producers,
but meeting the "Prince of Bhangra," producer Sukhbir Singh,
presented the opportunity to release Satnam Waheguru, an
album of devotional chants and hymns. The CD includes tra-
ditional instruments as well as a male vocalist, whose voice is
layered in to soothing effect. Kaur's clear tones will lull and en-
chant you, and a steady rhythm throughout assures you won't
be jarred with a sudden detour into turbocharge. Amidst all
her success—her You Tube video of "Gur Ram Das Rakho Sar-
naee," illustrated almost entirely with hand shadowgraphy,
has had close to 5 million hits—Kaur hasn't lost her lifelong
commitment to helping others; all proceeds from her sales go
to the S.O.S
Initiative, a
h u m a n i t a r i -
an organiza-
tion focused
on assisting
Punjab Sikhs
in need. "I
have been
blessed with a very comfortable life," she says, "but I feel I
must do something for those less fortunate." (Invincible Mu-
sic).
—Paul Andrews
MANIKA KAUR
Satnam Waheguru
MUSIC
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