Stronger Than DiamondsWade Imre MorissetteThis album introduces Alanis Morissette's twin brother Wade who is not only  a sought-after yoga instructor, but a talented artist who uses his singing  and guitar playing to connect to his spirit and allow his sadhana to  progress towards the supreme. What Wade produces here is a blend of  folk-rock music with Sanskrit and English chants. With that in mind, Wade  attempts to cross that ever-challenging bridge that connects the maya to  the bliss. Whoever unlocks this mystery will someday become the Beatles of  kirtan.Wade's music is very sweet and certainly well intentioned. It's almost like  imagining what it might sound like if James Taylor put out a kirtan album.  The spirit is there, and Wade's love cannot be questioned. Like James  Taylor, Wade has a friendly and comforting singing voice. The "Calling" is  a sweet example of what I'm talking about. The tune has all the instruments  and arrangements of a major label production, while Wade sings many of the  beloved names of God. His "Hanuman" is a call and response style of chant  and it might be the best track on the album.This is a hard album to critique simply because I want it to succeed so  much. But I think Wade falls into the same hole that many kirtan singers  who try to combine Western and Eastern music fall into. The difference is  that Wade's hole is not as deep.I think there is a boundary that needs to be understood before it can be  crossed. On one side of the bridge is the skakti, and on the other side is  where the egoic mind wanders with maya-influenced interruptions. I think  what happens is that the chants become too westernized when the mantras are  not accompanied by ragas that are thousands of years old and a necessary  element to keep the integrity of this spiritual tradition. Instead, the  result is a chant album that isn't enough of any of the genres and, though  entertaining, it lacks the shakti we are trying to access. But I still  think this is a very melodic, fun, comforting album that many yogis should  definitely check out.Michael R. Mollura - LA YOGA --LA YOGA, MAY 2007