Waiting for an album from one of your favourite artists to come out can really hurt. It's been about two years since Nitin Sawhney put out his last studio album and in that time his fans have been eager for the next edition. 'Philtre' is the next chapter in Nitin's remarkable career in music and boy does it not disappoint.

Not everyone appreciates Nitin's music. It's not bhangra, it's not R&B and it's not hip-hop, which does rule out a big cross section of the Asian music market, which is unfortunate in my opinion. Intelligent and creative music which is totally different to most of the market at high quality is the reason why we like fresh air and Nitin has provided that through albums, film scores and DJ'ing for ten years now. A return to DJ'ing this year is very apparent on 'Philtre' and I think its great that he made that decision to get back on the road.

The Sunday Times gave this album a mere two starts out of five, and when people say to me the "gorrah doesn't know what he's talking about", I thought that after reading their review. I don't agree with much of what they say. This is what I think:

'Philtre' begins with 'Everything', a slow moving song sung by new singer Jacob Golden who finds the right note to suit the mellow music. It's superbly put together with Nitin's trademark cinematic input with the strings and a great way to start the album.

Tina Grace is a vocalist who Nitin has used on past albums and her emotion filled voice is present again on 'Spark', which again is slow and a little bit of a sad edge to it but a great piece of music. Production is, of course, out of this world and Grace's voice draws you in and fills your ears with the message of a lost love to the perfect tone.

Number three is 'Dead Man', where the vibe changes to a country and western style flow, which we saw on Nitin's 'Prophesy' album. Fink's dreary vocals are brilliant on the chorus. The first Indian vocals come through with Jayanta Bose and Reena Bhardwaj singing in perfect harmony. I didn't like this much when I first heard it but it grew on me like nothing else on the album and the thought provoking final line of the chorus still bewilders me: is it a "dead man coughin'"? or a dead man's coffin?

We then get a short interlude called 'Rag Doll' which features Nitin's mother Saroj with a speaking part. It's not the first time Nitin's parents have featured on his music, 'Beyond Skin' saw them and again Nitin keeps it all in the family.

Then we get the main track from the album, the simply wonderful 'Mausam.' Pure tranquillity and perfect music is fused with strings, flutes and a guitar around some great lyrics sung breathtakingly. Reena Bhardwarj is on form, which exceeds Chelsea this season, and the Qawalli input from Murtaza Khan is a great compliment and the harmony in the chorus fills warmth in your ear canals. Uplifting, positive and simply amazing.

A jazz edge is then added for 'Journey'. It's sung by Vikter Duplaix who is from Philadelphia who demonstrates Nitin's talent for seeking out musicians and vocalists who are not well known but can be used to create immense music. The chorus to this song is a little sleepy but the piano sounds great and the attack and decay of the strings is spot on, as is the up tempo beat change near the end which keeps you on your toes.

'Void' comes next and it certainly does not leave a void. Despite being a little over two minutes long, its strings and vocals from Tina Grace and Jacob Golden sit over a slow pulse and the flute is also right on target. It's a Sawhney production showcase, its just another demonstration of musical talent.

Number eight is 'Koyal (Songbird)', a slower song with a dark beat, which really grabs your attention. Reena Bhardwarj is still hitting every single note right on the head and the harmony is to the same high standard as earlier. You can see the video for this song on Nitin's website - www.nitinsawhney.com.

'Noches En Vela' comes next in two parts. Spanish for 'sleepless nights', the first part is slow and a little sad, but still perfectly put together with the flamenco guitar working underneath a passionate performance from vocalist Marina Abad.

The second part is amazing. We get a beat, the guitar steps up and the bass comes in to generate an amazing Latin dance vibe, which I could listen to all day long. One of my favourite songs on the album, this will create some dub vibrations in clubs and is still a great song to listen to, more so if you like the sound of a classical flamenco guitar.

Track eleven is a musical interlude on a jazz tip with a cool beat and vibe but it's just an intro to the next track.

Most people who don't know much about Nitin will have probably only heard 'Rainfall', and on this track Nitin uses vocalist Taio again to the same outstanding effect. Another jazz tune, the clarity in the singer's voice is next level and he could easily be the British D'Angelo without his balls being squeezed to reach the high notes. The song itself tells a story and the music sounds a little like a harmonious jam session.

The jazz tip remains but gets funky for 'Flipside' which sees Sharon Duncan offering yet another great vocal performance. The chorus rolls and the verses work perfectly. It's another good song.

'Brainwaves' is only a short interlude but I think it's amazing. With some sick beat boxing by Jason Singh and a great Qawalli flow by Satyajit Talwalkar with Nitin's great production I was pissed off when the desi drum and bass ended after only 45 seconds.

Marina Abad returns for 'Footprints' which is another Latin track. It's a dance track, which has everything but just lacks a little meat in the beat. The flute is out of this world and the singing is on form and its great to listen to but misses that bite to fill a club.

'The Search'. Track sixteen. Mind-blowing.

Can I leave it at that? Ok, I'll elaborate. Take the most talented man in Asian music and put him together with Ges-E from the Nasha Sound System with a non lyrical vocal from Reena Bhardwarj and you get the best concoction of traditional Indian sounds and out of this world urban dance beats. The harp introduction and Reena's voice seem to go on for a beautiful eternity but it soon becomes apparent what you are 'searching' for. The beat kicks in and you have to move your body, head arms, legs…it's a command from your speakers, it's spectacular, it's harmonic, it's wicked. The production cannot be faulted in any quarter and the breaks are needed before you get too hot. I can liken it a little to 'Raag' from the 'Human' album (there are elements taken from that song) but perhaps this is a little less boisterous, but you will put it on repeat if you can appreciate true quality and intelligent Asian dance music.

The album finishes with a two minute warm down called 'Sanctuary.' It's the end of a journey, and even this has to be listened to closely.

If you'd not guessed already, I'm a bit of a Sawhney fan, and my admiration for the genius simply multiplied on this album. For those who don't know: GET TO KNOW!!!! Realise talent and musical creativity and genius and get your ass to HMV to buy this CD. The word 'Philtre' means 'healing' or 'magic potion' and that's what this album is - it's quite possibly Nitin's best work to date and is a melodic journey full of experiences which open your eyes to music. 'Philtre' from Nitin Sawhney is awarded an amazing 9.5 out of 10 and for all the haters out there who can't appreciate music without a dhol or MC'ing: if you don't agree then don't agree, but check this out - you WILL like it.