This should have been an intriguing set. Sa Dingding is one of China’s most successful and unusual artists, a powerful singer who has specialised in reviving Chinese and Mongolian folk themes while mixing traditional instruments with electronica. And the producer of her new album is Karsh Kale, the New York-based tabla player who has worked with Anoushka Shankar. But this is not the China-India sound-clash that it could have been, even though Dingding plays the guzheng zither and morin khuur fiddle, and the Indian musicians include flautist Naveen Kumar and sitar player Azeem Ahmed Alvi. There are some strong songs here, but they are weakened by the overuse of electronica. The yelping Ding Ding Sa or clattering Yin and Yang are aimed at the global pop market, though the cool, sitar-backed Oriental Beauty and rousing finale, Good Luck Song, are reminders of Dingding’s versatile, often acrobatic vocals.
