Traveller (Anoushka Shankar album)

Traveller is a studio album by British-American sitarist Anoushka Shankar, released in October 2011 through Deutsche Grammophon. The album was produced by Javier Limón.[4]

Traveller
Anoushka Shankar Traveller cover
Studio album by
Released13 October 2011 (2011-10-13)
RecordedAugust 2009 (track 2), September 2010–January 2011
GenreMusic of India, flamenco
Length62:55
LabelDeutsche Grammophon
ProducerJavier Limón
Anoushka Shankar chronology
Breathing Under Water
(2007)
Traveller
(2011)
Traces of You
(2013)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Daily Telegraph[1]
The Guardian[2]
PopMatters[3]

Traveller received a nomination in the Best World Music Album category at the 2013 Grammy Awards. However, the award went to Anoushka's late father Ravi Shankar (for his album The Living Room Sessions Part 1), and was accepted by Anoushka on his behalf.[5]

Background

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Shankar first came across flamenco when she travelled to Spain as a teenager. During that trip, she visited a small flamenco bar and was electrified by different stage performances.[6] Her album Traveller was built around the idea that Spanish flamenco may have its origins in India.[4] "In Indian music, we call it 'spirituality,' and in Spanish music, it's 'passion'. It's really the same thing in both forms, that reaching at the deepest part of the human soul," said Shankar.[6]

To record the album, Shankar travelled to Spain and enlisted the help of flamenco producer and guitarist Javier Limón. During the early studio sessions, they would sit across from each other with their instruments, exploring the musical conversation between them.[6]

Critical reception

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Traveller has received generally favourable reviews. In a positive review for South Asian Diaspora, Ashutosh Ravikrishnan cited "the dark masterpiece" as Shankar's best work, saying, "Traveller is hard to ignore; its music captivates you and forces you to feel and think."[7]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Inside Me"Javier Limón, Anoushka Shankar3:19
2."Buleria con Ricardo"Pedro Ricardo Miño, Shankar6:03
3."Krishna"Shankar5:50
4."Si no puedo verla"Limón, Shankar5:15
5."Dancing in Madness"Shankar4:29
6."Boy Meets Girl"Pepe Habichuela, Shankar4:56
7."Kanya"Limón, Shankar4:55
8."Traveller"Shankar3:41
9."Ishq"Limón, Shankar4:21
10."Casi Uno"Limón, Shankar5:26
11."Bhairavi"Shankar10:26
12."Lola's Lullaby"Shankar4:14
Total length:62:55

Chart performance

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Traveller has sold 52,000 copies worldwide.[8]

Weekly charts

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Chart (2011) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[9] 144
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[10] 62
Chart (2012) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] 4
US World Albums (Billboard)[12] 2
Chart (2013) Peak
position
US World Albums (Billboard)[13] 2

Release history

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Region Date Label Format(s)
Australia[14] 13 October 2011 Deutsche Grammophon CD, digital download
Germany[15]
France[16]
United Kingdom[17]
United States[18] 20 March 2012

References

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  1. ^ Hudson, Mark (13 October 2013). "Anoushka Shankar: Traveller, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  2. ^ Denselow, Robin (13 October 2011). "Anoushka Shankar: Traveller – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  3. ^ Cibula, Matt (28 June 2012). "Anoushka Shankar: Traveller". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  4. ^ a b "ANOUSHKA SHANKAR Traveller - Catalogue". Deutsche Grammophon. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Ravi Shankar wins posthumous Grammy for best world music album". Reuters (India). 11 February 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.[dead link]
  6. ^ a b c Tewksbury, Drew (21 April 2012). "Anoushka Shankar links songs of India and Spanish flamenco". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  7. ^ Ravikrishnan, Ashutosh (4 January 2013). "Anoushka Shankar: Traveller, CD review". South Asian Diaspora. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  8. ^ "ノラ・ジョーンズ参加!アヌーシュカ・シャンカールDG移籍第2作目" (in Japanese). tower.jp. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Lescharts.com – Anoushka Shankar – Traveller". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Anoushka Shankar – Traveller". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  11. ^ "Anoushka Shankar Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  12. ^ "Anoushka Shankar Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  13. ^ "Traveller - Anoushka Shankar | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  14. ^ "Traveller by Anoushka Shankar". iTunes (AU). Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  15. ^ "Traveller von Anoushka Shankar". iTunes (DE). Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  16. ^ "Traveller par Anoushka Shankar". iTunes (FR). Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  17. ^ "Traveller by Anoushka Shankar". iTunes (GB). Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  18. ^ "Traveller by Anoushka Shankar". iTunes (US). Retrieved 14 September 2013.