Second full-length comp from Sitar Beat, whose EP collections have been Lab best-sellers for years. The focus is still on soundtrack fare - including stuff from Bollywood heavyweights like R.D. Burman, Asha Bhosle, Ajit Singh and Mohammad Rafi - but things get even funkier than you'd expect, and the impressive playing goes way beyond the title instrument. Babla & His Orchestra's "The Witness(1)" does have some mean sitar, but it's also got some dope, Morriconne-esque flutes and... is that xylophone? Check the hardcore sitar/tabla breakdowns on "Nigahon Ka Adaon Ka(2)" by Kalyanji Anandji and Asha Bhosle, or the syncopated laughing in the opening of Anandji's "Pyar Zindagi Hai(3)." How about some funky Bollywood quasi-disco? Try Ajit Singh's "Main Akeli Raat Jawan(4)" (again with Asha on vocals). Also worth checking: R.D. Burman's trippy "Aaj Mera Dil(5)" and Keith Kanga's "Butterfly - Version Two(6)." Sound quality is generally great, but there are a few vocal tracks that have obviously been cleaned up as much as possible and still don't exactly shine. Buy this and enjoy it now before Wes Anderson's new movie makes kids in tight sweaters love Bollywood and ruins it for the rest of us. 16 tracks total. Recommended.

reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red