Hellborg/Lane/Selvaganesh/Umashankar "Icon"

Hellborg/Lane/Selvaganesh/Umashankar "Icon"

album cover

Hellborg/Lane/Selvaganesh/Umashankar
Icon
The Story
To those already familiar with Jonas Hellborg, it'll come as no surprise that the bassist/composer's newest disc, "Icon", confounds expectations and defies easy categorization. Nonetheless, "Icon" is an eye-opener even for the seasoned Hellborg aficionado. For this CD, recorded in London, Memphis, and New York, Jonas gathered the lineup behind 2000's stellar Good People in Times of Evil - hard rock guitarist Shawn Lane and Indian percussionist V. Selvaganesh (Kanjeera and Konokol) - and has also added vocalist V. Umamahesh and percussionist V. Umashankar (Ghatam and Konokol) to the mix. The collaboration results in some of most lively, visceral and transcendent music you'll hear this year. The furious tempos, rapid-fire percussion, and dexterous bass and guitar lines would be worth a listen on their own merits, but the music on "Icon" is so much more than simply a display of virtuosity.
The Music
15:04 Anchor Vocal
23:20 Mirror Vocal
16:10 Vehicle Vocal
04:46 Escape Vocal
The Artists
Shawn Lane Guitar
Jonas Hellborg Bass, Production
V. Umamahesh Vocals
V. Selvaganesh Kanjeera, Konokol
V. Umashankar Ghatam, Konokol
Tim Hunt Engineering, Mixing
Jake Jackson Engineering Assistance
Lennart Schander Mastering
Magnus Bergstrom Art Direction
Recorded at Air Edel Studios, London; Bardo Studios, New York; The Dungeon, Memphis, TN.

Mixed at Air Studios, London.

Mastered at Starex Mastering Lab.