Making her World Village début, Indian sensation Aruna Sairam offers us a chance to discover the Carnatic music of South India, until recently overshadowed by Northern India’s better known tradition of Hindustani classical music. Deeply rooted in the region’s temple culture with its emphasis on devotional song, Carnatic music stretches back to ancient times and is organized around the system of melodic “ragam” and rhythmic “talam” (equivalent to the ragas and talas of Hindustani music). During a performance, much of the excitement lies in how a virtuoso soloist puts these organizing principles to their most stunning use. On this extraordinary album, Sairam unites poetry, language, and music from across centuries and from across India itself. These nine songs vary in structure, pace and mood, while the nine poets belong to different periods and speak many tongues. But they are as one in denouncing the distinctions of caste, creed, gender, and sectarianism. At the center of a line-up comprising violin, tampura, hand cymbals and a variety of hand drums reigns Sairam, whose rich and concentrated voice is a pure pleasure to listen to.