narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Sheykhar Ravjiani/ Rang Label: Sufiscore Rating: **** Before Vishal-Shekhar happened in 1999, Shekhar Ravjiani had released a fantastic romantic album called First Love as a singer. With music direction keeping him busy, he hasn't been singing as much as one would like. Thus, it is heartening to hear him present this simple, catchy song 'Rang', written by Priya Saraiya. Going by the spelling Sheykhar, he sings with comfort and ease, the guitar, accordion and mandolin adding to the charm. Ravi Jadhav's video, shot from a balcony against the background of the sea, is appropriate. The song has folksy lines like, "Mora tore sang laaga re jiya, kaisa tora rang laaga re piya". With its infectious tune, this is the kind of song which makes you want to sing along, sway along and just be happy. Shreya Ghoshal & Stebin Ben/ Pyaar Karte Ho Na Label: VYRL Originals  Rating: *** Shreya Ghoshal has been doing some interesting projects outside of film...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Deep Purple/ Turning To Crime Label: Edel Music Genre: Rock covers Rating: **** On the 11th track of Deep Purple's new album Turning To Crime, you hear an all-too familiar opening riff. Though you're aware that this set is filled with covers, the choice of Cream's 'White Room' comes as a surprise, specially heard in Ian Gillan's voice. Guitarist Steve Morse avoids Eric Clapton's famous wah-wah coda but uses his own style. Covers seem to be the order of the day - besides Larkin Poe and Govt Mule, even Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have focused on this format in their new album Raising The Roof. Though Purple played Joe South's 'Hush', the Beatles hit 'Help' and the Jimi Hendrix-popularised 'Hey Joe' in their debut album, their covers have largely been restricted to concert jams. Produced by the great Bob Ezrin, Turning To Crime is their first album of all-covers, and they begin appropriately with '7 and 7 I...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Various artistes/ Through Her Eyes Presenter: Zubaan Rating: *** 1/2 Nine artistes from the north-eastern states come together on 'Through Her Eyes', singing in Ao-Naga, Assamese, Chokri-Naga, English, Khasi and Meiteilon. The project has been curated and designed by Anungla Zoe Longkumer, who's also one of the singers along with Tipriti Kharbangar, Tetseo Sisters, Sunita Bhuyan, Moreanla Ao and Mangka. Composed and produced by Mhaseve MKT Tetseo, the song aims to pay poetic tribute to nature and environment with the lines, "Mother Nature it is time we will learn to sing your song loud and clear". The video, edited by Imchatsung Imchen, thus has the singers shot against the backdrop of rivers, hills, forests and open greenery. The blend of north-eastern folk and western arrangements is just right, with the song beginning with Sunita's violin. The sub-titles add value to the visuals, though the ending seems abrupt. Folk Masti/ Kahaniya Label:...

A classic Pink Floyd album gets a makeover  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  In a week that's seen new releases by Sting, Adele and the Robert Plant-Alison Krauss combine, one barely heard any buzz about this album called Animals Reimagined. One wouldn't be surprised if those who got to know about it dismissed it as yet another tribute album of covers. As the title suggests, Animals Reimagined is a reinterpretation of Pink Floyd's 1977 masterpiece Animals. Interestingly, I got to know about it by accident when someone posted on a Jethro Tull Facebook fan group that the band's former guitarist Martin Barre had appeared on 'Pigs On The Wing, Pt 1', along with Cutting Crew vocalist Nick van Eede, known for the hit 'Died In Your Arms'. Curiosity led me to Google, where a few things came to light. One, besides Barre and van Eede, this album was filled with big artistes, mostly from the progressive rock field, with a few jazz-rock legends thrown in. I shall come to them in...

sting BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Sting/ The Bridge Genre: Pop-rock Label: A & M Rating: **** Post his Police days, British musician Gordon Sumner aka Sting came out with a series of great solo albums - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles, ... Nothing Like The Sun, The Soul Cages and Ten Summoner's Tales. After that, the wonderful songs did come, but more in small, isolated doses at times experimenting with world beat, rather than as part of consistent, seamless albums. Sting's latest record The Bridge, pun intended, bridges that gap. To quote the àrtiste himself, these songs "are between one place and another, between one state of mind and another, between life and death, between relationships, between pandemics and between eras... we need a bridge". With any new Sting album, one would initially consider three things. The first is his voice, which seems to have been stuck in a much-welcome time warp. Then come his melodies, often blending different styles like rock, pop, jazz,...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Adele/ 30 Genre: Pop Label: Columbia-Sony Rating: **** A gap of six years is pretty long for someone who's scaled so many heights so early in her career. Naturally, there has been much anticipation about Adele Adkins's new album. With a track record that includes huge hits like 'Rolling In The Deep', 'Set Fire To The Rain', 'Skyfall' and 'Hello', expectations have been huge. With a voice that can reach the highest notes with effortless ease and quiver with emotion with each syllable, Adele has been one of the most brilliant singers one could hear. And that quality was immediately noticed on last month's release of 'Easy On Me', the first single from her new album. "I had no time to choose, what I chose to do, so go easy on me", sang the Britisher in her characteristic fashion. Like her previous albums, the title of 30 has been inspired by the age at which she wrote the songs. It's a different matter t...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Mahati Subramaniam/ How We Feel Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 Music is in Mahati Subramaniam's genes, being the granddaughter of ace violinist L Subramaniam and singer Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam, and daughter of vocalist Bindu Subramaniam. At 10, she's released her first video. 'How We Feel' is a motivational song for children, as Mahati sings, "Don't forget about how we feel". The song has a catchy hook. In the video, she also plays keyboards and violin, besides doing a gymnastics routine. Mahati has composed the tune and written the words herself. Surely, it's an impressive creation. Nikitaa/ Farewell  Label: Self-released  Rating: *** Los Angeles-Mumbai singer-songwriter Nikitaa has just released her 12-song album High Priestess. While she has earlier put out some singles as part of the build-up, her new song 'Farewell' is about a relationship gone awry. "I think that it's time we say farewell",...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Rod Stewart/ The Tears Of Hercules Genre: Pop-rock Label: Warner Rating: *** Undoubtedly, Rod Stewart has one of the most distinct and attractive male voices in pop-rock history. At 76, that signature rasp is pretty much there, though the once-enviable range is obviously narrower. Returning with an album after three years, Stewart comes out with a mix of uptempo songs and ballads. From the composition and arrangement perspectives, The Tears Of Hercules is a fine effort, as he teams up with co-producer Kevin Savigar, an old associate. However, a shortage of infectious hooks and an absence of big-ticket anthems makes this sound like a toned-down version of classic Rod. That's not to take away from the fact that at his age, the Scot-Brit singer is still capable of churning out a set of decent, if not memorable songs. The first half of the album showcases his upbeat side, as 'One More Time', 'Gabriela', 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' and the foot-s...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Eric Clapton/ The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions Genre: Blues-rock Label: Bushbranch Records Rating: *** Superstar Eric Clapton has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, specially because of his anti-lockdown stance and views on vaccination, resulting in the protest songs 'Stand And Deliver' with Van Morrison and the solo 'This Has Gotta Stop'. Following the cancelation of his London shows in May, his decision to record an album featuring acoustic takes of old material was met with skepticism. This would be another Unplugged, was the refrain, a reference to the brilliant 1992 MTV album which had in a way revived his career. The new album, titled The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions, was recorded at a jam session at Clapton's home. And the comparisons with Unplugged are natural and justified, since 14 of the 17 songs are in that format. Moreover, Clapton decided to repeat three songs - the standard 'Nobody Knows You When Yo...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Raahein By Dear Sunshine/ Sukoon: The Rhythm Of The Soul Produced by: Dear Sunshine Foundation  Rating: **** Raahein is a project initiated by the Dear Sunshine Foundation to support underprivileged and unknown yet talented musicians from the Delhi-NCR region. 'Sukoon' is the first of five tunes being released as part of this initiative. Featuring 11 musicians playing bansuri, santoor, sitar, guitar, bass, keyboards and tabla, the nine-minute piece is based on raag Yaman. It has been composed by Risshi Sachdev and Mohammed Nizam, who also has a striking santoor part. The video has been shot on the Purana Qila premises. As the title suggests, the composition creates a mood of serenity. One, however, feels the ending is rather abrupt. The second part of the project, Justaju, is based on raag Jog. Santanu Ghatak ft Aditi Paul/ Saanware Label: SharajMusic Originals Rating: *** Santanu Ghatak composes and writes this love song, sung by Aditi Paul. The tune uses se...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Diana Ross/ Thank You Label: Decca-Universal Music  Rating: *** 1/2 One is a bit confused behind the logic of releasing the new Diana Ross album Thank You the same day as ABBA's comeback record Voyage. After all, millions of fans were eagerly looking forward to the latter, and chances were that Diana's album, also a return after 15 years, would be lost in that hype. The Detroit singer was a star much before the Swedes stormed the world, first as part of the Supremes and then as a solo artiste. And though her sound was more American soul and rhythm n' blues in comparison to ABBA's saccharine-laced Europop, they both had a similar fan base of listeners who liked a mix of simple songs and disco-flavoured numbers. Assisted by the brilliance of producer Jack Antonoff, Diana sticks to a similar formula on Thank You, her 25th album, though the tilt is more towards goody-goody ballads than uptempo dance tracks. It's an album filled with warmth, gratitude...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  ABBA/ Voyage Genre: Pop Label: Polar/ Universal Music Rating: *** 1/2 ITS the familiar voice of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who sings, "I still have faith in you, I see it now, through all these years that faith lives on somehow". In characteristic ABBA fashion, the high-pitched harmonies with Agnetha Faltskog follow, with the  instrumental back-up of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus sending you into a trip of 1970s pop nostagia. After releasing this song 'I Still Have Faith In You' and the Agnetha-fronted 'Don't Put Me Down' a couple of months ago, the Swedish pop superstars are out with the 10-track Voyage. It's been a hiatus of 40 years after their last album The Visitors, and expectations are naturally high. For a generation that heard ABBA as teenagers in the swinging seventies, this is surely the most awaited album in a long while. Comparisons are natural, and initial reactions may point to the lack of hit material offered by old cla...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  I've been spending the Festival Of Lights with The Inner Mounting Flame. While that may sound like a 'light'-hearted pun, the reference is to the iconic 1971 album of jazz guitarist John McLaughlin's band Mahavishnu Orchestra. November 3 marked 50 years since the record was released, and the immediate action was to have yet another listen. Clearly, here is an album which not only sounds great each time one hears it, but an instance where one remembers every single note and nuance of each of the eight tracks, and yet learns something new each time. Of the Mahavishnu albums, one always keeps debating whether this or Birds Of Fire is a bigger favourite. But The Inner Mounting Flame is extra-special, as it was my exposure not only to the band but to the entire generation of jazz-rock. The year was 1983, and like some of my classmates in Hansraj College, New Delhi, I was into rock music. I would visit a record store at Guru Nanak Market near Pamposh Enc...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Hitesh Rikki Madan ft Ariv Madan and Advay Madan/ Aao Naa Label: Self-released  Rating: *** As guitarist of Euphoria and frontman of EKA, Hitesh Rikki Madan has been a known name on the Delhi circuit. On 'Aao Naa' he forms a trio with his young sons Ariv and Advay, with all taking turns in singing. A simple guitar-based song, 'Aao Na' has a simple melody and singalong lyrics, written by Hitesh and Manish Dhawan. As a family effort, it works well, with Ariv playing bass and 12-year-old Advay on percussion. Vishesh Verma's video uses outdoor shots capturing woody locales and cloudy skies. Overall, it's a pleasant outing. When Chai Met Toast/ Yellow Paper Daisy Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Popular Kochi band When Chai Met Toast released its much-awaited album When We Were Young last week. This new single 'Yellow Paper Daisy' doesn’t feature on it but comes independently. The song bubbles with melody, and seems inspired by early Beat...