MAGIC CARPET

Unlike many psych-folk bands which included influences from Indian music, Magic Carpet was not composed solely of earnest young white men expressing an interest in other people's cultures; the band was a true Anglo-Indian fusion, with several members being of Indian descent. This includes vocalist and guitarist Alisha Sufit, who was apparently the group's primary songwriter. As such, the inclusion of Indian music is not merely to add flavour to some Westerner's hippy ditty; instead, the album offers a true fusion in which the raga elements are equal partners in the music, not simply tacked on for the sake of exoticism. It's certainly an interesting experiment, though I do find that it lacks any really memorable standout tracks - the songs on here are all perfectly good, but none of them truly excel.