OK (Talvin Singh album)

OK is the debut studio album by English / Indian tabla player and record producer Talvin Singh, released on Island Records in 1998. It won him the Mercury Prize for 1999.[9] The record was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[10] It took nine months of travelling around and recording to complete the album. Singh recorded in London and on Okinawa Island to capture folk singers, as well as in India to collaborate with the Madras Philharmonic Orchestra.[11]

OK
Studio album by
Talvin Singh
Released9 November 1998 (1998-11-09)
Genre
Length60:48
LabelIsland
ProducerTalvin Singh
Talvin Singh chronology
OK
(1998)		 Ha
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
The Guardian[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
Muzik[5]
NME8/10[6]
Pitchfork7.5/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

Singh hired various collaborators, including guitarist Jon Klein,[12] with whom he had previously recorded on Siouxsie and the Banshees's single "Kiss Them for Me" and toured during the inaugural Lollapalooza festival.[13] Ryuichi Sakamoto played flute on the album and sent his parts via a computer with an email which was a first in the late 1990s.[11] Rakesh Chaurasia also performed flute.[12] Singh recruited an eight female singer choir for the song "Soni".[12] Guy Sigsworth played keyboards on the opening track "Traveller", and also on "Sutrix" and the title track of the album.[12] Vocalist Suchitra Pillai joined in for the song "Sutrix".[12]

In the NME, reviewer Christian Ward noted that Singh was "trying to cover the globe with his music", as a voice intones "The world is sound", at the start of the album.[6] The record is rooted in India with odes to Asian underground scene, dub rhythms and jazz. There is also a contrast between "geisha choirs and cut-up beats", along with plaintive orchestral arrangements.[6] Reviewer noted that "convulsive rhythms compete with sensuous strings to create a deep, dark atmosphere", concluding with this positive sentence, "There are still more sonic territories to explore, but on this evidence, it seems that Talvin Singh will get there first."[6]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Traveller"11:18
2."Butterfly"4:26
3."Sutrix"5:55
4."Mombasstic"5:45
5."Decca"1:20
6."Eclipse"5:50
7."OK"4:19
8."Light"6:23
9."Disser/Point.Mento.B"2:43
10."Soni"5:59
11."Vikram the Vampire"6:47
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Wrist Flick"5:48

Additional musicians Talvin collaborated with
  • John Klein (guitar)
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto (flute)
  • Rakesh Chaurasia (flute)
  • Guy Sigsworth (keyboards)
  • Suchitra Pillai (vocals)

Charts
Chart Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 41

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Hilburn, Matthew. "OK – Talvin Singh". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  2. Hermes, Will (6 November 1998). "OK". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  3. Garratt, Sheryl (4 December 1998). "Talvin Singh: OK (Island)". The Guardian.
  4. Lechner, Ernesto (14 November 1998). "Talvin Singh, 'O.K.,' Island / Asian Dub Foundation, 'Rafi's Revenge,' London". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  5. Wyatt, Kieran (November 1998). "Talvin Singh: OK (Island)". Muzik (42): 86.
  6. Ward, Christian (3 November 1998). "Talvin Singh – OK". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  7. Khan, Samir. "Talvin Singh: OK". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  8. Hoskyns, Barney (26 November 1998). "Talvin Singh: OK". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  9. Quinn, Sue (8 September 1999). "Music award OK by Singh". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  10. Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  11. Simpson, Dave (8 May 2018). "How we made Talvin Singh's Mercury-winning album OK". TheGuardian. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  12. "Talvin Singh – OK (booklet)". Label: Island Records – 5322514, Universal UMC – 5322514. 2 × CD. Belgium. 2009.
  13. Paytress, Mark (2003). Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Authorised Biography. Sanctuary. ISBN 1-86074-375-7.
  14. "Talvin Singh". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  15. "British album certifications – Talvin Singh – OK". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type OK in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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