'Rahmania'

The Sunday Times, 5th May 2002

1 of their top 10 CDs of the year!

As traditional as bhangra and chips, some purists might say, but the repertoire of the Bollywood Brass Band forms a vibrant bridge between east and west. A multiracial set of strolling players, they have found a niche as Asian wedding specialists, as well as venturing onto the international festival circuit. Their new project nimbly plugs into the craze for over-the-top song-and-dance, Hindu-style: think of it, if you like, as a curtain-raiser for Rahman's forthcoming musical, Bombay Dreams. Irreverent, perspiring, kitsch-free and never dull, the arrangements are the rumbustious, Ealing Rd equivalent of New Orleans's Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

Clive Davis