Sheila Chandra
"The Struggle" / "Quiet" / "Out On My Own" CD (Caroline)
I think these are the last three reissues in Caroline's comprehensive back catalog of Chandra's solo work. Using traditional instrumentation in non-traditional ways, these albums reconstruct what the true meaning of international music is. Some purists would probably like everything to remain exactly the same in terms of adhering to "traditional" structures, if not roll the clocks back a few hundred years to achieve a more idealized form. However, music is most important when it evolves and progresses, not when it remains stagnant to please a few Luddites who can't grasp the notion that music which doesn't grow is dead, and therefore irrelevant. This may not be the mainstream future of rock and roll, but it's certainly an interesting place to find out where many contemporary musicians found inspiration, not to mention great music in and of itself.