narenmusic

By NARENDRA KUSNUR Album: Madame X Artiste: Madonna Genre: Pop, Latino-pop Label: Interscope Rating: *** ½ In her 36-year career, Madonna has released only 14 studio albums. While that’s a slow strike rate for someone of her stature, it’s obvious that she’s taken time over each record, trying a variety of styles while sticking to the basic dance-pop/ electronica sound. Her latest album Madame X, titled after a nickname her dance instructor gave her during her teens, comes four years after her disappointing Rebel Heart. Quickly, it has raced to No 1 on the Billboard 200 charts. Here, Madonna mixes up her sound, alternating between Latino-pop, trap music (a genre of hip-hop) and modern pop, using synthesisers and an assortment of rhythms. Madame X starts off with a set of amazing, loop-worthy songs, but the mistake she makes is she keeps the album too long. With 14 tracks spread over 56 minutes (besides four numbers on the bonus disc), one comes...

By NARENDRA KUSNUR Album: Western Stars Artiste: Bruce Springsteen Genre: Country-folk-pop Label: Columbia Rating: **** First, a word of caution. Bruce Springsteen’s 19 th studio album Western Stars may not be the kind you’ll instantly start raving about. In some ways, it may even remind you of his earlier releases Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad . And it's definitely not something that fans of guitar-driven rock may take to. But give it four or five listens, to begin with. The 13-track, 51-minute set works as slow poison, actually. The melodies grow on you, and the words take you on a vast journey of the American interiors, through highways, trains, horses, deserts, canyons, motels, cafés, and whisky bars. As a genre, the sound may be described as country-tinged folk-pop oe even 'Americana;, very much rooted in the early 1970s, with Springsteen’s voice in its pure, rugged element. Brilliantly co-produced by Ron Aniello, the songs make...

By Narendra Kusnur  Conce rt: Khusrau-Kabir Artistes: Warsi Brothers, Chaar Yaar, AR Divine, Anurag Dhondiyaal, Devender Pal Singh Genre: Bhakti/ Sufi music Details: Nehru Centre, June 15 Rating: **** The Nehru Centre auditorium was packed on Saturday night, as the Khusrau-Kabir concert featured an array of performers. An annual show organised by Banyan Tree Events, it attracted a knowledgeable crowd, unlike many fashionable shows where people only request Khusrau’s ‘Chaap Tilak’ and Kabir’s ‘Jheeni Chadariya’. Both these poets have a vast repertoire, and there have been numerous attempts to highlight their work through concerts Jahan-e-Khusrau in Delhi, the multi-city Ruhaaniyat, the Kabir Festival and the folk-fusion event Paddy Fields, besides shows organised by Pancham Nishad and National Centre for the Performing Arts, among others. Though Khusrau-Kabir has a more focused theme, there were occasional diversions too, with some musicians singi...

By NARENDRA KUSNUR Concert: Transcendence 2.0 Artistes: Louiz Banks, Mysore Manjunath, Yogesh Samsi, Gino Banks, Gianluca Liberatore, Bangalore Amrit Genre: Jazz, Carnatic, fusion Details: St Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra, June 9 Rating : **** It was a unique event, held as a tribute to two icons – Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and Carnatic violinist T. Chowdiah. On Saturday, June 9, the audience at the St Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra, witnessed three diverse forms of music at the Transcendence 2.0 concert. Renowned pianist-keyboardist Louiz Banks and his group played acoustic jazz, after which violinist Mysore Manjunath gave a Carnatic recital. Appropriately, the evening ended with fusion. Banks, known to be a huge admirer of Peterson, was joined by his son Gino on drums and Gianluca Liberatore on upright bass, an instrument not heard often in Mumbai’s live circles these days. The trio set the tone with the George Gershwin classic ‘Summertime’, f...

By NARENDRA KUSNUR Album: Bolden (soundtrack) Music: Wynton Marsalis Genre: Old-school jazz Label: Blue Engine Records Rating: ***** Many musicologists have described New Orleans composer and cornettist Buddy Bolden (1877-1931) as the father of jazz. Blending ragtine, blues and gospel with a dance flavour, he created a unique sound at the beginning of the 20th century, but had to cut his career short because of schizophrenia. His successors included musicians King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Johnny Dodds, Kid Ory and the iconic Louis Armstrong. Bolden's biopic, titled Bolden, was released in the US in May 2019, but sadly didn't make it to Indian theatres. Directed by Dan Pritzker, it features Gart Carr in the lead role. The composer had left no recordings and one heard his music through what was played by the next generation. Thus, it was a huge challenge to create a soundtrack for this film. On the one hand, it had to retain the charm of the Bolden era. On the ...

By NARENDRA KUSNUR Album: Haze County Artiste: Crypt Trip Genre: Eclectic roots rock Label: Heavy Psych Records Rating: **** A trio formed in Texas in 2013, Crypt Trip made headlines with last year's album Rootstock. Their sound is a heady mix of late 60s psychedelic rock, 70s hard rock, southern rock, jazz, blues and country, making it a very American sound. On their new album Haze County, vocalist-guitarist Ryan Lee, bassist Sam Bryant and drummer Cameron Martin are joined on some tracks by Geoff Queen on the pedal steel. It's a short album, with nine tracks spanning just over 36 minutes. And it's something that sounds equally good in your living room or while driving. The highlights of the Crypt Trip sound are the catchy, guitar-based hooks and subtle tempo changes. While the basic melodies remind you of the Allman Brothers, Grand Funk Rail Road, Grateful Dead and in some cases The Who and Led Zeppelin, the drumming patterns are a well-...