MANTRA-POP COMES TO THE CAVE CHAPEL HILL NEWS MAY 22ND, 2007

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Robin Renee, New Jersey-based singer-songwriter, didn't set out to be a voice for spirituality in pop music. But as she has discovered through the course of her indie career, sometimes these things happen.

Over the last several years, she has been developing what she calls "Mantra-Pop" -- her own genre of accessible tunes with a spiritual twist. In March she released her third CD, "Live Devotion," her first record dedicated entirely to sacred chant. She will perform a solo acoustic show at 7:30 p.m. Friday at The Cave in Chapel Hill.

Renee will play alt-folk tunes from her first two releases, "In Progress" and "All Six Senses," and she plans to lead a bit of kirtan, a call-and-response style of chanting from the bhakti yoga tradition of India with easy-to-learn Sanskrit, and perhaps inner peace for all who give it a try. Her concerts bring together audiences of social progressives, rockers, folk fans, and yoga enthusiasts.

An awakening moment about five years ago turned Renee's already mystical gaze eastward. "Live Devotion" was foreshadowed by mantra-referencing songs like "I'm Coming Down" and "Holy River" from the 2002 release "All Six Senses," which was produced by Scott Mathews, who has worked with artists including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Elvis Costello, Patti LaBelle and many more. Renee first met the emergence of chant in her creative process with an element of surprise, then with a sense of balance.

"I've always been a deeply spiritual person, but I kept it somewhat muted and cryptic in the lyrics," she said. "It's exciting to put it out there so freely now. It feels like a natural integration."
For information on Renee, see http://www.robinrenee.com.

(Robin Renee brings chanting, yoga and alt-folk to town Saturday.
Contributed photo)