Nada Brahma

Album Review

Moonraker had been together for three years when, in 2001, they released their debut album, Nada Brahma — and by that time, they had enough of a local following in Boston (where they were based at the time) for the album to do relatively well in that area. Nada Brahma wasn't a huge international smash with multi-platinum sales, but the buzz that Moonraker had created on the Boston scene enabled them to sell at least 3,000 copies of this CD in the northeastern part of the United States. While that isn't the sort of figure that Whitney Houston would be envious of, it isn't bad for a regional indie act — especially when you consider that Boston, like a lot of other American cities, has a fiercely competitive music scene. Boston is smaller than New York (and smaller than Philadelphia, for that matter), but its music scene is still competitive as hell — even if you're as intriguing as Moonraker. Blending alternative pop/rock, urban contemporary, and different types of club/dance music, Nada Brahma takes a lot of chances and underscores the fact that Moonraker is far from generic. Three of the songs on this CD ("Modern Way," "Shalom," and "These Walls") were subsequently heard on 2003's Moonraker, and even though Nada Brahma isn't as consistent as that 2003 release, it's still a promising debut. Lead singer Kelli Scarr's soulful, inspired vocals are a definite asset, and Moonraker's ability to fuse a variety of musical styles without sounding confused or schizophrenic is impressive. Those who are exploring the band's work for the first time would be better off with a copy of 2003's Moonraker; nonetheless, this is a respectable, if imperfect, effort and is worth obtaining if one has more than a casual interest in Moonraker.