When I discovered Mohini Dey a little less than a year ago and reviewed her fiery self-titled debut, I stated that “If she has started as she means to continue, then I cannot wait to see what comes next.” Since then, the young Indian bass virtuoso has landed herself in a heap of controversy after accepting a sponsorship from Suno AI, a generative artificial intelligence platform that allows users to create complete songs in seconds using simple text prompts. The effect has been polarising, with many saying that she’s making it harder for living, breathing musicians to find work by promoting AI-generated music. From my perspective, this certainly seems like a misstep, and one that she’s unfortunately doubling down on.
But I honestly didn’t take that into consideration when I picked up The Dey Way for review. The paragraph above only came to me after I had done my customary listening, and I was frankly shocked at what deep water she had gotten herself into. It’s unclear if any AI was used in the production of this album; it’s not something I’ve ever needed to speculate before, but because of her close ties with Suno, I can’t rule it out. But let’s give her the benefit of the doubt for the sake of this review.
Right from the start, familiar drummer Gergő Borlai sets the tone by playing several hundred drum notes in the first thirty seconds. The drum fill gives way to Dey’s signature konnakol vocals and frenetic vocals, and we’re off. What follows is 37 minutes of intense jazz fusion with mind-melting time signature changes, polyrhythms and incredible musicianship. Dey has a roster of world-class musicians ready to play only the most challenging rhythms imaginable.
And you know what? I found it incredibly boring and difficult to enjoy. On her debut, her chops seemed unprecedented, new and exciting. The debut was the proof of her sheer skill; this follow-up offers nothing else. While she has an abundance of talent with the complex side of things, I detect no nuance or ability to just write something simple and catchy. Something that has staying power.
Dey went professional roughly two decades ago; now she’s 30, but this album still smacks of immaturity. The songs on this album feel like when an overexcited child doesn’t pick one or two toppings for their ice cream but instead tries to put them all on at once; did she never learn that less can be more? It sounds exciting and well-produced, but is too cluttered and chaotic to be memorable. There’s neither a break from the chaos (save for the final, minute-long coda DAD) nor any standout track that makes me want to come back for more. The closest Dey gets is with Xtroverted Soul, a follow-up to the far better Introverted Soul on her first album, which features unique-sounding dramatic chanted verses (although the lyrics themselves are drowned in the mix).
Each of the tracks on here could do well if they were the only song like it on an album full of less frenetic material. On Dream Theater’s best album, Scenes from a Memory, the group put a lot of their most complex ideas into one instrumental, The Dance of Eternity, which has become notorious in music circles as one of the most challenging songs to learn and play. Mohini and crew run rings around Dream Theater in terms of pure chops and complexity, making The Dance of Eternity sound like Happy Birthday. But Dey doesn’t seem to understand how having this complex ‘peak’ in a sea of less dense prog made it stand out so much more. If you put seven Dances of Eternity on one album as Dey has, then none of them stands out.
As a work of pure virtuosity and musical talent, The Dey Way seems unchallenged. This album will thrill the right listener, and if you’ve never heard her play before, you ought to try this album to hear just how skilled a musician she is. But as a work of art, the album is exceptionally weak; the songs aren’t quite as triumphant as her original, and she relies on complexity as her USP rather than composition. She seems to have pulled a King Crimson: releasing a clone of your debut when things go pear-shaped in the PR department. Perhaps there’s still a chance for her to evolve and give us a Lizard, a Larks’ Tongues in Aspic or perhaps even a Red.
TRACK LISTING
01. The Dey Way (5:23)
02. Xtroverted Soul (5:22)
03. Whammy Award (5:20)
04. Slappa Dey Bass (6:07)
05. Joy (4:41)
06. 15 Steps Ahead (5:02)
07. Uncle Dennis (4:38)
08. DAD (1:10)
Total Time – 37:43
MUSICIANS
Mohini Dey – Bass Guitar, Vocals
~ With:
Gergő Borlai – Drums (1 & 2)
Marco Cirigliano – Drums (3)
Eric Moore – Drums (4)
Larnell Lewis – Drums (5)
Roni Kaspi – Drums (6)
Dennis Chambers – Drums (7)
Bumblefoot – Guitar (1)
Jack Gardiner – Guitar (2)
Mike Gotthard – Guitar (3)
Rhythm Shaw – Guitar (7 & 8)
Dániel Szebényi – Keyboards (1,2,3 & 4)
Kash Iyengar – Keyboards (1,5 & 6)
Button Masher – Keyboards (2)
Jonathan Mones – Saxophone (1,2,3,4 & 7)
Shahar Amdor – Saxophone (3)
Emmanuel Echem – Trumpet (3 & 4)
Willow – Vocals (2)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Mohini Dey Records
Country of Origin: India
Date of Release: 20th July 2026
LINKS
Mohini Dey – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Instagram
