Tibet and things or persons Tibetan are very popular these days. Since its been some forty years since the riots in Llasa and subsequent Chinese takeover, I suppose it’s about time. A “Free Tibet” bumper sticker does very little, however, to assuage the fact of over one million Tibetans killed, the cutting down of Tibet’s vast forests, its plateaus and rivers polluted with nuclear waste, and a majority of the over six thousand monasteries gutted or destroyed. Now with three Hollywood movies on  Tibet in one year and reported sightings of saffron robed monks in downtown Santa Rosa, California, and throughout the West, I suppose one must acknowledge the inevitable...the gratuitous record review.
YUNGCHEN LHAMO -- TIBET TIBET I was able to snag a copy of Tibetan music by “Yungchen Lhamo--Tibet Tibet” Realworld/Narada).This is contemplative, mournful, and liturgical music that reminds me of Sheila Chandra. Some of these songs are Lhamo'originals. Others are based on traditional themes like the“Refuge Prayer” known to all Buddhists and the most important Buddhist chant of all, the “Om Mani Padme Hum”. Nary a synthesizer nor a Western instrument is heard on this cd unless one includes mandolin.
The only Tibetan-sleight-of-hand is a sparse electronic interspersing of ritual chants by the monks from the Drepung Ngakpa Monastery and the Gyuto Tantric College both in Delhi, India. A couple of tracks do include the dranyem, a traditional stringed instrument, but it's mostly Yungchen Lhamo's vocals that make this release such a treat. Her authentic Tibetan songs about yearning for home in Tibet and devotional songs to the Dalai Lama  include just the right touch of Late Western Empire studio wizardry. A collection of Buddhist religious chants it is not. What little ritual chants are used on this compilation only supply flavor, not the substance.
Buy this cd for a glimpse of the Tibetan language sung with sweetness and devotion by this 25-year-old Himalayan artist. Better yet. Give it away to one of your Buddhist friends as a holiday gift. They might appreciate it and you might be able to accumulate a little merit through your generosity.