Dada Veda’s second album, Love Is the Best, is a most unexpected offering. Its eleven songs reflect Dada Veda’s message of self awareness, peace, and love. Finding that on an album by a trained yoga monk is not at all surprising. Dada Veda is a member of Ananda Marga, a global spiritual and social service organization founded by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, whose mission is to bring self-realization and service to human beings all over the globe. Dada Veda’s monastic name is Acarya Vedaprajinananda Avadhuta, and the honorific “Dada” that he uses in the much shortened form of his name means “respected elder brother.”

Born in New York City, Dada Veda hitchhiked to California in search of enlightenment during the Summer of Love (1967-1969) phenomenon. There he discovered yoga and was exposed to bhajans or devotional songs and kirtan, the mantra chanting most people associate with some forms of Eastern meditation, including yoga. He began playing guitar and singing as he led chanting sessions, even before he was trained as a monk.

Less than a decade ago, Dada Veda starting writing songs. His first CD, Brighter Than the Sun, combined the spiritual with social justice and ecological issues, and sent him on tours throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. That recording introduced an unexpected element that also marks his sophomore CD, Love Is the Best. That element is a definite country influence that a fan dubbed as Country and Eastern Music. However, neither of these albums has the sophistication that fiddle player Tim Carbone has often called on in his work with Railroad Earth or his former band, the Dharma Bums.

Produced and arranged by Ryan Sam, Love Is the Best also has rock, pop, and country gospel influences. Dada Veda, who plays guitar and handles the lead vocals, is supported by Diipak who played the violin. The other instrumentation comes from Ryan Sam himself playing bass, piano, electric and acoustic guitars, and drums, as well as adding background vocals.

The result is startling, especially when looking at Dada Veda’s photo on the album. Listeners just don’t expect to hear that voice and that music coming from his face, which looks venerable and wise in its full beard and orange turban and robes. Though Eastern musical and spiritual influences have pervaded mainstream music since the Beatles, there are many new North American groups who are writing original music with Eastern chanted lines or instrumentation, such as Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits from Washington DC or Bhadra Collective from Toronto. These groups, though, sound very Eastern.

Dada Veda, however, is about as American as you can get, right down to his John Sebastian meets Sister Hazel delivery. That combined with his spiritual content make this CD unexpected. That may have been the intention. The very nature of the two musical ideas—Eastern and Western—is programmed to shake up ingrained minds. Once listeners get past the shock of the two divergent concepts, they may be more open to Dada Veda’s lyrics.

Love Is the Best is happy music. The songs are all upbeat and have melodic choruses that will leave listeners humming long after the CD is ended. And the messages of love, brotherhood, and even vegetarianism are worthwhile. But make no mistake, the songs are not subtle or cleverly poetic. They are forthright and carry listeners along with their positive messages. These are teaching songs that are meant to inspire and get people thinking about spiritual matters. Or to put it in another context, they are similar to church camp songs, only with more expanded themes.

That said, it is the more country gospel rooted songs that are the strongest. The first track, “We Are Never Alone or Helpless,” is straight out of the old-time camp meeting, with a bass and drumbeat, and a chorus similar to “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” The third track, “Liberate Your Mind,” also has a familiar chorus, sounding like “Accentuate the Positive” and then dips into the sweet gospel harmony. It also has a slick electric guitar break in the middle. The vegetarian song, “A Better Deal,” also sounds familiar like a cut from the Broadway play, Big River. It is enhanced by the tasteful violin that is a mix of classical and country fiddling. That work is countered with tablas and piano that sound odd together at first but soon melt into an enjoyable mix.

The other strengths of this album are in the last two cuts, “Good Old Kirtan” and “Kirtan Remix.” The first is a traditional kirtan or chant using the phrase, “Baba Nam Kevalam,” which means “Love is all there is.” It starts with voices and adds a strummed guitar with synthesizer overtones and synth tablas. These droning sounds add to the chanting, but it is an odd mix of organic elements (voices and guitar) and electronic elements that sometimes fight each other. The “Kirtan Remix,” with only a vocal, is a synthed-up version that could be called a “switched-on kirtan.” It actually works, even for some listeners and meditation practitioners who find electronic elements distracting during a chant.

And then there is the doo-wop tune, “Open My Heart.” It is just fun. The title cut, “Love Is the Best,” however, is not as strong as others in the CD making it a curious choice for an album name.

Dada Veda’s Love Is the Best is a most unusual excursion into Eastern spiritual thought. Because of the mix of ideas and musical styles, perhaps the CD should have been called, Open My Mind.

Review by Janie Franz