Album : Shakthi - The Omnipotent
Producer : Music Today
Lead Artiste : Prasanna - Guitar
Accompaniments : J Vaidhyanathan - mridangam
S Karthick - Ghatam
Side A: Kanchadalayatakshi - Kamalamanohari - Adi - Dikshithar
Kaumari - Gowrivelavali - Adi - Dikshithat
Vijayambike - Vijayanagari - Adi - Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar
Neelayadaakshi - Paras - Misra Chapu - Syama Sastri
Shyamale Meenakshi - Dikshithar Meets Bach - Dikshithar Medley
Side B: Kamalambam Bhajare - Kalyani - Adi - Dikshithar
From the album you learn that Dikshithar has composed 36 songs in Western style and who's better to give a demonstration of one of them than the avant garde artiste, Prasanna ? The one piece gives back your money's worth and is the main reason to purchase the album. Dikshithar was a contemporary of the German composer Bach. One wonders how, at a time when preserved music was unheard of, Dikshithar got a whiff of Western classical. Intuitive understanding ? Who knows ?
However, where Prasanna steals the heart is at the Vijayanagari piece, Vijayambike, which is a full Carnatic-fare with a succint alapana and a bunch of swaras. Vijayanagari is an endangered species and kudos to the album makers and Prasanna for chosing it as the main piece of Side A.
The album begins with the popular Kamalamanohari piece, Kanchadalayatakshi, although another song (maybe, Sankaramabhira manohari) would have served the purpose of popularising a less known composition. Kaumari in a rare raga 'Gowrivelavali' and Neelayadaakshi in Paras do charm the listener, but the vote is for the Western classical composition, Shyamale Meenakshi.
Side B has practically no features to mention--its just a nice Kalyani.