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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Scorpions/ Rock Believer  Genre: Hard rock/ metal Label: Scorpions, licensed to Universal Music Rating: **** 1/2 One can recognise a Scorpions song from a distance of miles. Vocalist Klaus Meine has one of the most distinct and identifiable voices in rock history, and fellow German Rudolf Schenker's rhythm guitar falls in a brand of its own. Now 73, both these musicians display top form on Rock Believer , their 19th studio album. Coming seven years after their previous Return To Forever , Scorpions just continue where they left off. While veteran lead guitarist Matthias Jabs and semi-veteran Polish bassist Pawel Maciwoda are in prime form, former Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee does a great job coming in place of powerhouse James Kottak. Right from the opening track 'Gas In The Tank', Scorpions mean business. In his trademark manner, Meine sings, "Let's play it louder, play it hard, laid back and a little dark, give me a dirty riff, my friend, t...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Slash ft Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators/ 4 Genre: Hard rock Label: Snakepit Records/ Gibson Rating: *** 1/2 A decade ago, super-guitarist Slash teamed up with Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy to release the album Apocalyptic Love . The project, called 'Slash ft Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators', has now released its fourth album, aptly titled 4. Expectedly, one gets a good dose of controlled rock vocals, spitfire guitar riffs and a skin-tight rhythm section. Bassist Todd Kerns, drummer Brent Fitz and rhythm guitarist Frank Sidoris are spot-on, complementing the genius of the two lead stars. Yet, despite all the technical pizzazz, one finds a certain sameness on the first four tracks. They make for good driving music, complete with high-speed axemanship, but only two of them go that extra mile. Luckily, the album settles in after a point, and the latter half has its share of gems. Of the 10 songs, 'The River Is Rising' is an appropriate albu...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Mohit Chauhan ft Saumya U/ Teri Ada Label: VYRL Originals  Rating: *** From the band Silk Route and solo album Fitoor to films like Rockstar and Delhi-6,  singer Mohit Chauhan has had a fair number of good tunes. He now appears on the love song 'Teri Ada'. Kaushik-Guddu's composition and Kunaal Verma's lyrics have freshness, as the song talks of love at first sight. Mohit's singing is expressive, but though Saumya Upadhyay is credited, she's hardly there, appearing more like back-up vocals at the end. The video, directed by ADP, stars Mohsin Khan and Shivangi Joshi (in picture). It's another run-of-the-mill attempt to look like a Yash Raj Films product. Radhika Sood Nayak/ Hindu Nahin Na Musalmaan Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Prolific Sufi singer Radhika Sood Nayak's newer releases have included poet Baba Bulleh Shah's 'Ishq Kamaal' and Shah Hussain's 'Assan'. Her latest track 'Hindu Nahin Na Musalma...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Eddie Vedder/ Earthling  Genre: Rock Label: Republic Records/ Seattle Surf Rating: *** 1/2 Outside of the marvellous Pearl Jam and a few known film soundtracks like Dead Man Walking ,  Into The Wild and Flag Day , star vocalist Eddie Vedder has had a limited output. His last solo album Ukulele Songs was released in 2011. Coming after over a decade, Earthling boasts of guest appearances by Elton John, Ringo Starr and the harmonica-playing Stevie Wonder, who appear on a track each. However, the album is held together by the core band, comprising Red Hot Chili Peppers members Josh Klinghoffer on guitars and drummer Chad Smith. Bassist Andrew Watt has also produced the album. Earthling is a slow-burner, needing a couple of repeats to get the hang. It isn't out-and-out Seattle grunge, but has the rawness and crisp songwriting. Some parts are reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen (check 'Brother The Cloud'), and the third song 'Long Way' seems str...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Gangubai Kathiawadi/ film soundtrack Music: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Label: Saregama India  Rating: **** The music of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films has invariably been rooted in traditional sounds with vibrant rhythms and bursts of energy. In most cases, they have translated into cinematic grandeur, matching his subjects. Thus, on his latest Gangubai Kathiawadi , one gets a fair mix of songs in styles like folk and ghazals, presented of course in a package that's very typical of Bhansali, who has helmed the music himself. The film is based on the life of Gangubai, played by Alia Bhatt, who enacts a madam in a Kamathipura brothel. Of the two videos out, 'Dholida' initially reminds you of 'Dholi Taro Dhol Baje' from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam . Yet, the song is different notably for Alia's marvellous garba dance, Jahnvi Shrimankar's befitting vocals and Kruti Mahesh's lavish choreography. While Kumaar has written the main lyrics, the ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Pratibha Singh Baghel & Deepak Pandit/ Inheritance  Label: Sufiscore Genre: Thumri crossover  Rating: **** Last year, singer Pratibha Singh Baghel and composer Deepak Pandit released the album Bole Naina - Silences Speak , with lyrics and recitation by Gulzar. The album was in the ghazal/ nazm space, while the title track featured tabla maestro Ustsd Zakir Hussain, the songs 'Beqaraan Kaynaat' and 'Raat Ko Jaane' also stood out. Now, Pratibha and Deepak combine again on Inheritance , which consists of thumris and dadras. While two songs are very well-known to the general public, the other two are familiar to connoisseurs. Yet, the distinguishing factor is the blending of the voice with arrangements played by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. The traditional vocal fare is thus accompanied by harmony-filled string sections helmed by Tapas Roy, woodwinds and keyboards, with Prashant Sonagra's tabla used predominantly and Deepak's solo violin...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Gayatri Asokan ft Purbayan Chatterjee/ Saiyaan Mora Label: Self-released Rating: *** Sitar exponent Purbayan Chatterjee has been conducting some interesting experiments in the fusion space. His latest composition is a thumri-meets-jazz jam sung by the talented Gayatri Asokan. After a guitar intro by Rickraj Nath, Gayatri sings Priyani Vani's lines, "Saiyaan mora gaya pardes, khoj khabar naahi koi sandes". Drummer Darshan Doshi and keyboardist Nakul Chugh chip in. Though the sitar-guitar interaction is smooth, one wishes there was more of the thumri part. With the emphasis on instrumental improvisation, the vocals shine only in short bursts. Prajakta Savarkar-Shinde/ Avval Label: Self-released  Rating: *** One regularly hears fresh voices in the field of ghazals. Though Prakajkta Savarkar-Shinde may have had some singing experience (one sees some YouTube videos of cover versions), this writer heard her the first time on her new 'Avval'. She has ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Keshav Iyengar/ Seeing Faces Genre: Alt-rock Label: Inkk Audio Rating: **** On the opening track of his new album Seeing Faces, Keshav Iyengar writes, "Now Mamu finds that he's all alone, the friends were never there, all there was was a hole, deep inside that he could never fill, so he looked for a softer way, the result was nil". The song 'Mamu and Friends', about a character called Mamu, is presented in a style that seems influenced by Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen. The guitaring has traces of Floyd and the words talk of loneliness, pain and self-destruction. Assisting composer Keshav are guitarist Lokesh Bakshi and vocalist-pianist Jeson Felipe. Over the next few songs, the album changes colour slowly. Though Mamu doesn't reappear in name and the Floyd hangover vanishes, the songs are interconnected, ending with the positive vibe of "Let it go, let it go, is the only way to grow". Active as a bassist, Keshav loves writing ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Rashmeet Kaur ft Nikhil Kotibhaskar/ Raen Gayee Label: Self-released Rating: **** Delhi-based singer Rashmeet Kaur is known for doing contemporary versions of Punjabi folk songs, and had done her take on the popular 'Bajre Da Sitta' last year. In 2019, she had released 'Musafir' based on Baba Bulleh Shah's Sufi poetry. Her new YouTube song 'Raen Gayee' is a cutting-edge rap adaptation 'Musafir'. While Rashmeet does the Hindi rap and Sufi inspired part, Nikhil Kotibhaskar sings the male rap. The words "Raen gayee sab kho gaye taare, ab to jaag musafir pyaare" have a melodic air that makes you sing along. Rashmeet's composition and producer Pranay Parti's sound are very party-friendly, and in terms of classification, 'Sufi-rap' seems ideal. Brodha V/ All Divine Label: Self-released Rating: **** Bengaluru-based Brodha V is one of the most innovative and versatile hip-hop artistes in the country. Check out hi...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  John Mayall/ The Sun Is Shining Down Genre: Blues Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Even as music fans were talking of The Zealot Gene , the first Jethro Tull album in over 18 years (reviewed earlier), another major album was out. John Mayall, Godfather of the British Blues, released The Sun Is Shining Down at the age of 88. Besides his virtuosity and sheer passion for the genre, Mayall is known for having worked with the cream of musicians, including guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor, and bassist Jack Bruce, in the 1960s. Here too, he works with a bunch of hugely talented musicians. The roll call ranges from the brilliant Mike Campbell, who played with Tom Petty, and Chicago blues master Melvin Taylor to 25-year-old star Marcus King and violinist Scarlet Rivera. Mayall's voice retains the magnetism, and he's written a few numbers himself.  The horn-backed 'Hungry And Ready' with guitarist Melvin Taylor also has him on harmonica ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Maati Baani ft Shankar Tucker & Somashekar Jois/ O Re Jiya Label: Self-released Rating: *** Led by vocalist Nirali Kartik and guitarist-composer Kartik Shah, Maati Baani has been one of the most eclectic groups on the Indian indie music scene, blending Indian classical and folk with western sounds. Their new single 'O Re Jiya' features clarinetist Shankar Tucker and konnakol (spoken rhythm syllables) exponent Somashekar Jois among others. It starts off very well, with konnakol, bass, vocals and clarinet. Nirali's voice is melodious and the lyrics by Shruti Nayak have the earthiness and folk vibe. Suddenly, the band tries to do too much. The Kannada rap by SIRI may sound good on its own, but seems like a lengthy intrusion here. The jamming in the second half is rather forced. Had the group stuck to the basic melody and improvised, the result would have been far better. Mahalakshmi Iyer/ Shaam Mane Label: Yogesh Rairikar Originals Rating: *** 1/2 Mahala...