He has been called “mystic, storyteller, teacher, world traveller and sage”. Miten is a British musician who is well known in the yoga, meditation, and holistic healing community for his songs of redemption and transformation.

Miten (then known as the British-born signer/songwriter Andy Desmond) first established himself in the mainstream music scene of the 1970s. He released several records, including albums recorded and produced by Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks and legendary L.A producer, Bones Howe. He toured extensively, featuring as special guest at the Wembley Arena for Fleetwood Mac and throughout Europe with Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Hall & Oates, Lou Reed, Fairport Convention and the Kinks, among others.

Disenchanted with the Western lifestyle of a pop star, he embarked on a voyage of personal and spiritual discovery which led him to India. There, he experienced a life-changing awakening and became a disciple of the philosopher and mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (aka Osho). Miten has since dedicated his life to the pursuit of meaning and truth through the medium of his beautiful, evocative music. Now in his 70’s, he brings the wisdom of a lifetime to bear on a newly released album, DEVOTEE.

Devotee is a collection of songs that ranges from the gospel-styled Into Your Hands to the soulful Silent Space with You. The blues-styled and Tantric-sounding Bring me Your Love and the meditative Eyes/Ocean (originally recorded by the great Sheila Chandra) are sensual and invite the listener to slow down, smell the roses and embrace the quiet peace that lies beneath the surface of modern life.

Also featured in Devotee is fellow mantra star and wife, Deva Premal (vocals) and long-time collaborator, Nepalese maestro Manose (bansuri/vocals) together with road-warriors Joby Baker (production/bass), Spencer Cozens (piano) and Rishi (drums), who make up Miten and Deva’s Temple Band.

Miten says “The vision was to create a deeper sense of peace through music. Deva and I know that many people use our music to accompany such moments as giving birth to their children or for saying goodbye to loved ones as they take their last breath – this was very much in my mind during the recording of Devotee. So my direction for the musicians: Could you die to this music?”

“Devotee is a word used for the mysterious – and often misunderstood – relationship between guru and disciple,” Miten says, explaining the inspiration behind the title of the new album. “Through Osho‘s teachings I was given a new perspective on life. I learned to trust it – whatever it brought, rain or shine, pleasure or pain. Devotee is the result of a very unusual rollercoaster ride into the wild expanse of the heart. The guru is not there to create a fan club, but to help devotees to move beyond their boundaries and into their full potential. Now I see music itself as an alive, living breathing guru, that teaches, challenges, elevates and encourages me to move with gratitude through these final years of my life. The great spirit of Music has been ever-present ever since the dawn of time, and there will be the music of the spheres long after humanity has wiped itself off the face of the earth. Music is the Guru.”

The album has nine songs in all and is Miten’s first solo album. Some songs may resonate with you more than others. I found that I was drawn less to the Western, reggae or blues style of some of the songs and more to the spiritual ones, which is why I liked Into Your Hands and All the Way.

Instead of an acoustic guitar, Miten chose the electric guitar for this album. “I‘ve played acoustic guitar most of my life, but for this album I was drawn back to the sound of the electric guitar,” Miten says. “Not to make it cry or weep, but just to give my voice and songs a different texture, a different taste, a different flavor. And that‘s what you hear on this album. We played live in the studio keeping in mind the intention to make music we could die to!“

You can listen to the entire album here.

Miten is also offering a free download of one of his songs from the album, Eyes Ocean. You can download it from HERE.

Miten’s Devotee album is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.