Kalak (album)
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Kalak
| type = studio
| artist = Sarathy Korwar
| cover = Kalak-korwar.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{start date|2022|11|11|df=y}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio = Real World Studios
| genre =
| length = {{duration|m=42|s=38}}
| label = The Leaf Label
| producer = Photay
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
Kalak (stylized as KALAK) is the fourth studio album by London-based jazz musician Sarathy Korwar. The album, which was produced by Photay, was released via The Leaf Label on 11 November 2022.
Artwork
The album's cover was created by Sijya Gupta and Fabrice Bourgelle. The cover is based on sacred geometry. The circular symbol on the cover represents the circular nature of time and music.{{cite web |last1=Chandran |first1=Nyshka |title=An 'unapologetically Indian' universe |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230106-the-ancient-indian-myths-resonating-now |website=BBC |access-date=10 January 2023 |language=en |date=8 January 2023}}
Release
The lead single, "Utopia Is a Colonial Project", was released on 16 August 2022, with a music video directed by Elliott Gonzo.{{cite web |last1=Pappis |first1=Konstantinos |title=Sarathy Korwar Announces New Album 'KALAK', Releases New Single |url=https://ourculturemag.com/2022/08/16/sarathy-korwar-announces-new-album-kalak-releases-new-single/ |website=Our Culture Mag |access-date=10 January 2023 |language=en |date=16 August 2022}}
Critical response
{{Album reviews
|rev1 = AllMusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{AllMusic | class= album | id= mw0003798087| title= Review of Kalak | first= Thom | last= Jurek | access-date= 9 January 2023}}
|rev2 = The Guardian
|rev3 = Mojo
|rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web |last1=Cowan |first1=Andy |title=Sarathy Korwar's KALAK Reviewed! |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/new-music/sarathy-korwars-kalak-reviewed/ |website=Mojo |access-date=9 January 2023 |date=1 November 2022}}
|rev4 = The Observer
|rev5 = Uncut
|rev5score = 8/10{{cite magazine |last= Hasted|first= Nick|title = Sarathy Korwar Kalak|magazine = Uncut| page = 29|edition = December 2022}}
}}
Kalak received positive reviews from critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on six reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
The album was featured on multiple publications' year end lists. Suraya Mohamed of NPR Music placed the album in her top ten of 2022.{{cite web |last1=Mohamed |first1=Suraya |title=NPR Music 2022 Staff Picks: Suraya Mohamed |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/12/21/1143398542/npr-music-2022-staff-picks-suraya-mohamed |website=NPR |access-date=10 January 2023 |language=en |date=21 December 2022}} Jim Carroll, writing for RTÉ, ranked the album as the second best album of 2022.{{cite web |last1=Carroll |first1=Jim |title=Jim Carroll's 22 best albums of 2022 |url=https://www.rte.ie/culture/2022/1213/1341683-jim-carrolls-22-best-albums-of-2022/ |website=RTÉ |access-date=9 January 2023 |language=en |date=14 December 2022}} John Mulvey of Mojo ranked it as the 39th best album of 2022 out of 110.{{cite web |last1=Mulvey |first1=John |title=The MOJO Editor's Favourite Albums Of 2022 |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/the-mojo-list/the-mojo-editors-favourite-albums-of-2022/ |website=Mojo |access-date=9 January 2023 |date=16 December 2022}}