Mantras for Madmen

Album Review

Harry Manx has been working on his personal mix of blues and Indian music for some time now, and he's reached a virtually seamless match with this release, Mantras for Madmen — as well as climbing to a new plateau in his songwriting. There's a soulful tinge to pieces like "It Makes No Difference" and "Never the Twain" that fills out his music, and he gets and holds a groove as laid-back as J.J. Cale. The only overtly Eastern pieces on the disc are "Afghani Raga," a short dip in the water, and the solo "Talkin Turban," but you can hear it in the mohan veena (a resonant Indian slide guitar) of "San Diego — Tijuana," where India meets Mexico, or "Your Sweet Name." Manx's voice seems to have taken on a new maturity, too, clearly evident on the duet "It Takes a Tear," which verges into gospel. This is, without a doubt, among his best.