White Sun II

These are just a few of the many adjectives that pop into my head when I try to describe this new release from White Sun. As I listen, I'm overcome with peace, and I'm immersed in the beauty and tranquility of the music. Gurujas's voice is heavenly - at times delicate, and at times commanding - truly diverse in her expressivity. The arrangements, the production, and instrumental performances are also flawless, and the songs are wonderfully easy to get lost in, to expand your awareness within. If you're looking for an album to accompany your yoga practice, meditations, or something to both de-stress and energize you, this is it. I love it!

There's a wonderful feel and movement on this record, picking up as it progresses. Percussion is perfect, the strings add to the richness in the sound and the vocals are of the highest degree. Fantastic arrangements all round - ‘CHATTRA CHAKKRA VARTI’ and ‘GOBINDAY MUKUNDAY’, and ‘SUNIAI’ has such a smooth feel with that easy pace! I love the easy flow on SIMRO GOBIND’ and ‘HUMMEE HUM’. Emotive vocals and harmony and excellent production makes this a stunning album!!

I love listening to this album because of how it makes me feel - it transports me to a place of peace and of innner joy. I really could listen to Gurujas sing all day, and the guitar work, tabla playing and other instrumental accompaniment meld perfectly with her smooth, spritual and gorgeous voice. I also love how the band has combined a more traditional chanting style with a real sense of song. To me they have brought together the best of both. Highly recommended!

This is definitely one of our favorite albums in our collection. The music is so soothing and spiritual! We think Gurujas and Adam Berry make a wonderful team. Gurujas voice is vibrant and sensitive, and Adam's music is brilliant! The rest of the musicians in this album are also amazing! And we are LOVING the graphics and the cover. We have been a fan of White Sun since their first album and can't wait to hear more music from them!

"White Sun II" is the second release from the Los Angeles-based group White Sun. The core group consists of vocalist and composer Gurujas (pronounced goo-roo-jass); composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Adam Berry, a two-time Emmy winner; and Harijiwan (hudd-ee-jee-vin) who plays gong and serves as spiritual leader. Guest artists include Mamadou Dibate on kora (a 21-string harp made from a calabash gourd), Abhiman Kaushal on tabla and Gabe Witcher on fiddle, plus additional singers. Most of the songs on the album are based on 5000-year-old yogic mantras, but what makes this music really different is that the songs are set in a more modern song style that will appeal to a much broader world-wide audience. This is obviously working remarkably well since the album made its debut at #2 on the Billboard New Age chart and is currently #1. Even more remarkable is that White Sun II is now part of the required curriculum for two courses at the University of Southern California as part of their health and wellness campaign to find new ways to deal with the stress level of students. Gurujas started singing and playing the piano when she was very young and began performing at the age of 11 with the Cleveland Orchestra’s Children’s Chorus. She has spent the last decade traveling the world teaching mantras and Naad yoga. She released several singles under her name before forming White Sun. Harijiwan has been teaching Kundalini Yoga since 1975 and has been playing the gong for many decades. Multiple-award-winning composer and songwriter Adam Berry has scored more than 500 episodes for television and fifteen feature films. "White Sun II" begins with “Gobinday Mukunday,” an intense and dramatic song with passionate vocals and a fascinating combination of eastern and western instrumentation - a very impressive start! “Ajai Alai” is much more soothing and even a bit mysterious. Gurujas’ incredible voice is so emotionally expressive that no translation of the words is needed. “Simro Gobind” has a very interesting folk-song feeling to it that might inspire you to sing along. One of my favorites is “Aap Sahaee Hoa Har Har Har,” a poignant, dramatic and mysterious song that highlights the beauty and clarity of Gurujas’ voice - gorgeous! The only non-vocal track is a lovely instrumental called “Akal Instrumental” that serves as something of a prelude to the vocal version, “Akal,” which is more ethereal. “Hummee Hum” is quite different. Gurujas says that she wanted to root this yoga song in American music history and to tap into the blues sound of the Mississippi Delta. Several gospel singers were brought in, including The Waters Family, so this is quite a cultural mix that works really well! “Ik Ardas Wahe Guru” brings this amazing album to a quiet, peaceful close. I have a feeling that we’re going to be hearing a lot more about White Sun and "White Sun II," and hope that their music will be even more widely received as the healing, unifying force that it is intended to be. Highly recommended!

Ever since White Sun II was released, I've been playing it non-stop. This album is OTHER LEVEL. Healing. Stunning. Haunting. Awe-inspiring.

Not sure where to begin, but this album has the most powerful sound current I've ever heard. When I listen to it, time doesn't exist, space doesn't exist. It resonated deep into my soul and spirit. With every listen, I feel lighter and brighter. Thank you so much White Sun!!!

Buy this album now

“White Sun II” is the sophomore album from world fusion artist White Sun, who fuse both modern and indigenous instruments with transcendental sung lyrics. Comprised of eleven compositions, the album was produced and mixed by Adam Berry who also plays guitar, keyboard and bass. Additionally, Adam is the co-writer of the songs along with Gurujas, who provides lead vocals as well as plays harmonium. Also joining the lineup is Harijiwan on Gong, Mamadou Diabate on Kora, Abbiman Kaushal on Tabla, and Gabe Witcher on Fiddle. A gospel choir lends their voices to a couple of compositions. From the opening piece, “Gobinday Mukunday”, an atmosphere is conveyed of being inside a sacred shrine or temple, which sets the overall mood for the rest of the album. Indian tabla drums underscore the composition along with the classical touch of a fiddle, and a West African stringed instrument called a Kora. One gets the sense that something ancient and powerful is being invoked here, as Gurujas sings phonetically beautiful lyrics in a foreign tongue – her iridescent voice echoing throughout the halls of a vast and open space. Moving into the equality enthralling, “Ajai Alai”, Gurujas’ vocals are surrounded by an opulent arrangement of contemporary and exotic instruments that create a harmonious bliss. Her voice soars softly like a translucent arc of light towards the end of the piece, as if to draw one’s attention skyward in some kind of reverence. “Chattra Chakkra Varti” is another particular highlight in which a mesmerizing enmeshment of electric guitar and kora are enhanced by Gurujas’ meditative voice. Likewise stunning is “Dhan Dhan Ram Das Gur” – another soul-enriching piece led by an enveloping arrangement of vocals, percussion and mellifluous strings. Another personal favorite is “Akal Instrumental”, in which improvised elements emit a beautiful auditorium effect. Free of rhythm or vocals, the guitar and kora take center stage, as one might easily imagine the sights and scents of temple décor, incense and candlelight. This piece is followed by the equally mesmerizing, “Akal”, where Gurujas’ mantra-like intonations are surrounded by additional layered and harmonized vocals. Concluding the album is “Ik Ardas Wahe Guru” – a gently uplifting and celebratory piece that additionally features a gospel choir. While I certainly enjoyed White Sun’s debut album, I am completely captivated by the breathtaking melodies, vocals and instrumental arrangements on this follow-up release. A sincere conveyance of depth, richness and soulfulness is present here, while effectively avoiding common clichés and nuances. The compositions’ detectable influences of Indian, African and middle-eastern music – combined with western vocals singing non-English lyrics – seem to culminate in a listening experience that feels inherently universal and transcultural. Outstanding from start to finish, “White Sun II” easily sits among this year’s best world fusion albums!

Really masterful. Ethereal. Perfect for yoga class, meditation, driving; any time you want to connect to the heavens. ~Charanpal