For those of us not familiar with the name and history of Yungchen Lhamo, One Drop of Kindness will sound like an eclectic collection of exotic, far eastern sounds with a vibrant energy that resonates throughout its core. Lhamo’s music is near impossible to categorize, and perhaps labeling it as “world” music would be playing it a little too safe. Indeed, for the first Tibetan singer to sign a major record deal, and after a two-and-a-half-decade career and with more than 80 countries worldwide toured, Yungchen Lhamo’s healing voice and meandering arrangements are musical forces exquisitely harnessed by an expert team of audio engineers and artists and a stellar vision from the singer herself. The brilliant ‘One Drop of Kindness’ is an unforgettable experience.
Based in the historic upstate New York town of Kingston, Lhamo’s roots are deeply planted in Lhasa, Tibet, whose given name was given to her at birth by a Tibetan Lama, meaning ‘goddess of melody’. Lhamo’s illustrious career has seen her join forces with globally renowned artists such as Bono and Annie Lennox and has seen her perform in the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall, and knowing all of this might get you a little more prepared to experience her music. Profoundly spiritual and deeply peaceful, Lhamo says that she sings to heal and to transform the lives of her listeners to the better, and with her visceral performances and warm, silken deliveries, it is safe to say that her voice is the driving instrument in most of the pieces on One Drop of Kindness.
For an album that’s targeted at the lovers of ethnic timbres and the musical time travelers among us, this collection of songs excels at being worldly and wholly accessible for all lovers of heartfelt, meaningful sound. Lhamo successfully incorporates familiar beats on numbers such as ‘Overcoming Obstacles’ and lilting piano line on the graceful ballad ‘Awakening Through Sound’, while effortlessly navigating the wholly ethnic soundscapes of cuts such as ‘Sound Healing’ the opening track, the jubilant and warm ‘Perfect Compassion’, the wistful ambience of ‘Being Courageous’, and the invigorating closer ‘Dream Song’- making all those cuts perfectly compelling and giving them an immediate pull. ‘Dedication to My Teacher’ is a stunning bridge between two worlds, blending resonant, ethnic percussion with a sweet, melancholic chord progression that’s familiar and easy to fall for, making the cut a one of a kind on the album with a healthy ascent in dynamics that reaches a heaving crescendo dripping with potent emotion. ‘Being Courageous’ is another particularly stunning affair. As the longest cut on the record, this wistful and barren soundscape populated mostly with wailing strings and Lhamo’s serene vocal acrobatics is entirely compelling and perfectly catching to the senses throughout its near 7-minute runtime.
Co-produced by John Alevizakis at Little Buddha Studios in the secluded Californian Sierra Nevada forested slopes, the sound of the album generously captures the artist’s wholly unique sound and vision, as well as her sublimely rich musical, artistic, and cultural heritage in its modest, 7-song collection in which Lhamo delivers a wealth of musical ideas that are varied and are consistently executed with grace and with an artistic flair fitting for a global star such as herself. One Drop of Kindness is a wonderful experience from start to finish, and is one of the most honest and easy to love albums that I’ve had the pleasure of writing about throughout 2023.