Although South Asian musical influences will always standout in any composition, with his third full-length album "Broken English", London born and New York raised Karsh Kale blurs the east/west line in ways many others aren't able to. His lifetime immersed in the multi-cultural soup of New York City are played to a strength as Kale merges south Asian, hip-hop, western pop and electronic music into a sound that reveals he maintains a strong connection to his Indian heritage. In effect, Broken English exemplifies modern Desi culture.

1. Manifest
2. Dancing At Sunset
3. Beautiful
4. New Born Star
5. Free Fall
6. Drive
7. Innocence And Power
8. Hole In The Sky
9. Some Things Are O.K.
10. Louder Than Bombs
11. City Lights
12. Rise Up

The opening track "Manifest" defines it all. Mc Napoleon raps in collaboration with Vishal Vaid's energetic Indian singing, as hip-hop beats played on a mix of electronic and traditional south Asian percussive instruments roll over a mix of flowing and punctuating synth accents.

Initially "Dancing At Sunset" didn't hit me right, but after about my third listen that all changed and I couldn't get it out of my head. The strongest element is the voice of new band member Todd Michaelsen, who sings in what I can best describe describe as a Peter Gabriel styled delivery (although I'm no Pete Gabriel expert, so the association may be a bit abstract). The music behind his voice is a mix of near eastern 2 step with some nice tabla breaks and rich Indian strings.

With vocal contributions from Sophie Michalitsianos (Sparklehorse), Dierdre DuBois (former lead singer of Ekova), Vishal Vaid, Sabiha Khan, and Trixie Reiss (best known for her work with The Crytal Method), there is no shortage of beauty throughout Broken English. Often, both western and eastern vocalists perform in duet, accenting and contrasting each other in perfect ways.

Sitar, tabla, and other lush Indian strings are as prevalent throughout this album as synths, mellow breakbeats and pop-influenced choruses. With rich vocal work producing a wide range of emotions and music crossing numerous genre boundaries with uncommon symbiosis, it's clear that Karsh Kale has made a giant step toward fusing east and west so seamlessly that each becomes, essentially, invisisible to the listener, but it's also clear that he maintains a strong affinity for his Indian heritage.

Much in the vein of Bombay Dub Orchestra, Midival Punditz, and at times, the latest Thievery Corporation album.

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