David Newman (Durga Das)

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Artist

David Newman (Durga Das)

Ceremony

Career era: 2003–2024Passed away April 18, 2024Variable — ranges from gentle devotional to full-band rock/blues/reggae arrangements. Meditation, spiritual practice (selected/gentler tracks).

Sacred chant master, recording artist, bestselling author, and teacher. First album Soul Freedom (2003); catalog blends mantra with folk, blues, rock, Americana, reggae, Afro-Caribbean, and ambient styles — a wider stylistic range than most artists in this batch.

Representative albums: Lotus Feet: A Kirtan Revolution, Love Is Awake, Leap of Grace: The Hanuman Chalisa, To Be Home. Recommended starting album: To Be Home.

Mood and energy: Variable — ranges from gentle devotional to full-band rock/blues/reggae arrangements. Recommended uses: Meditation, spiritual practice (selected/gentler tracks).

Editorial note: Genre range is unusually wide (explicit rock/blues/reggae full-band arrangements) — recommend selecting his more acoustic, harmonium-centered material.

Sacred Ground Confidence Score: ★★★★☆ (4/5)   Final recommendation: Approved for selected works only

Why this artist belongs in Sacred Sounds: A widely respected, bestselling kirtan artist whose gentler acoustic devotional work offers real warmth, once separated from his more full-band arrangements.