Michael Doherty’s Music Log: Chandrika Tandon: “Ammu’s Treasures” (2023) CD Review

Chandrika Tandon Is a vocalist whose first album, Soul Call, was nominated for a Grammy (Best Contemporary World Music Album). She has since then released a few more albums: Soul March, Soul Mantra, and Shivoham – The Quest. Her new release, Ammu’s Treasures, is actually a three-disc boxed set, containing two discs of songs and one disc of chants. And though it’s packaged for children, even containing two sheets of stickers, it can, and should, also be enjoyed by adults. In fact, in the 148-page book included in the box, Chandrika Tandon addresses the adults (after addressing the children, of course). “My dear grown-ups,” she begins, and then explains where the name Ammu comes from. “Ammu is the name my grandchildren call me,” she writes. She continues, “Ammu means happiness; Ammu means sweetness; Ammu means purity.” That should also give you an idea of her approach to the music contained in this set. Ammu’s Treasures is a wonderful collection of songs, including some old folk tunes and more modern pop songs, all delivered with warmth and joy and honesty. She has created lyric videos for some of these songs, and the video for “Miller Of The Dee” is what first got me interested in this release. The song is beautiful and haunting, the animated video depicting some strange creatures. It really grabbed me, and I ended up watching it multiple times (something I very rarely do). That one track was more than enough to get me excited about this artist and this release. But there is magic running throughout this three-disc set. By the way, Chandrika Tandon includes very brief notes on each of the songs, short messages for children on what they might take away from each track, as well as art work related to each song.