Talented and versatile Rock artist Abhi Manapragada gives hope and inspiration in his wondrous new 13-track album, 'Confessions from a Drifter’s Soul'. Abhi was born in Jamaica and raised in Louisiana, and was exposed to a multitude of musical genres from a young age, spanning everything from Hindi to Reggae. Let's take a closer look at his latest album release...
In the title track of the new album, Abhi shares his life journey so far whilst pondering about the journey ahead. Currently studying music, Abhi seeks to explore different genres in order to better understand the relationship between culture and music. There are plenty of twists and turns in genre throughout the album, and nods to different cultures too. Whilst the title track has a more traditional rock sound, elsewhere there are elements of classical, pop and even a touch of jazz such as on the verses of 'Slave To Yesterday'. Abhi has a beautiful lead vocal throughout, with gripping lyrics and themes too.
A personal favourite of ours is track 5 'What Are You Waiting For' with its mesh of jazzy piano and rock guitar, accompanied once more by Abhi's reflective lyrics on the human condition and our relationship with the world. The song is uplifting and encourages the listener to 'take a leap of faith'. Track 7 'In Your Name' has a hint of Guns N' Roses' 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' in the chord progression. The song 'The Mask That I Wear' has a brilliant theme at its core, about letting down one's disguise and being your true self, while 'As Time Flies By' is a melancholic ode to life despite the way the clock ticks.
Another highlight track on the album is 'Broken Hearts, Broken Souls', which is a romantic love track that will stay with you long after listening. Abhi believes that one can have more compassion and empathy for culture through exposing oneself to different types of music, because “all music shares the human story”.