narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR I've spent the past 40-odd years debating whether I'm a Deadhead or not. I've never attended a show by the band or its spinoffs. Nobody called me a hippie, despite my often-shabby look, and I was never part of the counterculture movement. I had other vices, but never did drugs - apologies to those who believe there's connection between their music and substance abuse. But I love the Grateful Dead, and there have been numerous phases when I binge-listened to them. As such, the death of any Dead member, no pun intended, seems like a personal loss, a recollection of late college days in Delhi when one experimented with new sounds, on albums recorded on blank tape and track names clumsily handwritten on sleeves. And so it happened when the news of songwriter, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir's death flooded the internet a couple of days ago. Like many other fans - true-heads or wannabe-heads - I felt it marked the end of an era. With his demise,...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Divine/ Walking On Water (album title track ) Language & genre: Hindi, desi rap Label: Gully Gang Records Rating: *** Rap star Divine's new album Walking On Water has some interesting collaborations, including one with Hanumankind on 'Tequila Star', with Gurinder Gill on 'Late Knights' and with MC Altaf and Sammohit on 'ABCD'. The other 12 songs on this 47-minute record are solo outings. Here, we talk of the title track, because Divine has taken the autobiographical route describing how he made it big after all the struggles. More of an 'I, me, myself' vibe as he sings "Bhai bola baat maan, rap nahin aasan, jaa kar kuch aur kaam, main poocha last chance" before talking about his deal with Sony Music and his involvement with Gully Gang. "Hardest mein nikla, phir Mumbai se finest", he announces. Thank you for letting us know. Stunnah Beatz shines on the track's production, with Anami doing background voc...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Kaushiki Chakraborty/ Bhakti Tarang  Genre : Devotional music Details : Tata Theatre, January 3 2026 Rating : **** During the second half of the Bhakti Tarang concert on January 3, vocaliat Kaushiki Chakraborty told the audience, "It's your song, you sing along. I won't announce the name now." After a robust percussion duet, she launched into the classic Marathi abhang 'Majhe Maaher Pandhari', ending with the 'Vithal Vithal' crescendo that gave everyone gooseflesh. It was Kaushiki's first concert of 2026, and for those looking for music that was spiritually uplifting, Tata Theatre was the perfect place to be. For over two hours, minus the intermission, she sang a wide range of devotional tunes Besides the exquisite abhang , there were songs for Ram, Krishna and Ganesh, the inspiring poetry of Kabir, a Meerabai masterpiece and even a thumri with a spiritual interpretation. The event, organised by Dedhia Music Foundation, began ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Antariksh/ Udaan Language & genre: Hindi, pop-rock Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Varun Rajput, Delhi band Antariksh has built a following in the Hindi pop-rock space with its hummabe tunes and relatable lyrics. On its new song 'Udaan', it uses a theme that's motivational and inspiring. After a near guitar intro, Varun sings, "Main chala bandhan saare todke, dil mein liye hausla, daudne rahe laga hai lahoo phir se ragon mein, aisa lage zinda hoon mein". He's joined by Shrikant Biswakarma on guitar, Danik Ghosh on bass and Arko Ganguly on drums, with Varun chipping in with some keys too. The video, directed by Rohan Srivastava, captures the band live in the studio. The playing is filled with youthful energy, which goes with the song's nature. Danish Sood / Toxic Language & genre: Hindi with a bit of English, indie Label: Self-released  Rating: *** Also from Delhi, singer-songwriter Danish...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR The past week has witnessed the loss of two rock stars who created an impact in different eras. On December 19, British guitarist Mick Abrahams passed away at 82 and three days later, 74-year-old singer-songwriter Chris Rea, also from the UK, left us. While the former had more of an underground following, Rea's music had more mainstream appeal. Fans would remember Abrahams as the first guitarist of prog-rock giants Jethro Tull, fronted by the legendary flute-playing icon Ian Anderson. He played on the 1968 debut This Was , but with Anderson wanting to move from a bluesy flavour to include more folk idioms, he quit and formed Blodwyn Pig. Rea, on the other hand, was best known for his solo work using rock and pop flavours and a smattering of blues in the 1980s and early 1990s. While the 1986 composition 'Driving Home For Christmas', re-recorded two years later, remains his most famous song, his 1989 album The Road To Hell is a landmark in recorded musi...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Jatayu/ Jewel Tones (EP) Label: Self-released  Rating; **** Chennai band Jatayu's style involves an innovative blend of Carnatic elements with contemporary arrangements. On their new EP Jewel Tones , they take one composition by Muthuswamy Dikshitar and three by Thiagaraja and add doses of jazz, funk and world music to create something marvellous. The band comprises Shylu Ravindran on guitar and kanjira, Sahib Singh on guitar, Manukrishnan on vocals and drums, and Kashyap Jaishankar on bass. They are joined by guests Ghatam Krishna on percussion and Wesley Crispus on saxophone. Using the track names 'The Wick', 'The Triumph', 'The Mirage' and 'The Resolve', they create many magical moments in the 28-minute record. The way Thiagaraja's 'Marugelara O Raghava' in ragam Jayantasri has been fused on 'The Mirage' with guitar and bass is a good representation of the Jatayu sound, with Manukrishnan's vocals brillian...