narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Prateek Kuhad/ The Way That Lovers Do Genre: Indie/ folk Label: Elektra Records Rating: *** Jaipur-bred indie singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad suddenly made headlines when former US President Barack Obama included his song 'cold/ mess' in his list of favourites for 2019. While his shows draw great responses, his videos for 'Kasoor' and 'Shehron Ke Raaz' became hugely popular last year. However, he has stuck to a standard formula on other singles, and some repetition began creeping in. The good news was that Prateek bagged a deal with, Elektra Records, and his album The Way That Lovers Do is just out. Being an international release, he sticks to English songs, most talking of love, heartbreak and relationships. The sound is very much in the western folk-pop category, with co-producer Ryan Hadlock giving it a supple feel. It's a short album, spanning 11 tracks over 33 minutes. And while the songs are strong on lyrics, there's a bit of i...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Raman Negi/ Mehroom Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 Having quit the popular indie-rock band The Local Train, vocalist Raman Negi goes solo on 'Mehroom'. Collaborating with him on production is Gaurav Chintamani of Advaita. Initial reactions hint at a toned down version of The Local Train, retaining the vocal style but missing Paras Thakur's riffs, Ramit Mehra's bass and Sahil Sarin's drums. But the song grows after a couple of listens, with Raman singing high-pitch on, "Awaaz de mujhe o mere aziz, qayamat ki shaam jab dhale". The word 'mehroom' refers to a deprived person, and Maan Boruah's video has a dark look that goes along with it. While the song has its highs, one looks forward to more to see if Raman can break out of The Local Train shadow. Aditya A/ Chaand Baaliyan Label: Sony Music Rating: *** This song has been on heavy-duty promotion on Spotify, and one can understand the excitement. Singer-songwriter Aditya ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Sushma Soma with Aditya Prakash/ Home Genre: Carnatic/ crossover  Label: Self-released  Rating: ***** Indian musicians have often been inspired by the themes of nature and environment. In the recent past, there have been some fresh approaches too. If Grammy-winning conposer Ricky Kej has used them regularly as motifs, we now have Singapore-based vocalist Sushma Soma doing her own take on the subject. Her second album Home , a follow-up to the well-received recording Sa , appropriately begins with a track called 'Nature'. In association with Aditya Prakash, who's produced the album, she uses raag Hansadhwani and the great Subramanya Bharti's lyrics to describe the human relationship with nature. Beginning with multi-layered voice textures, the piece has a masterly handpan by Manu Delago. Like 'Nature', the other six tunes are rooted in Indian tradition, with Sushma's Carnatic upbringing used eloquently. Yet, there's a certain innovatio...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Arrows ft The Lightyears Explode/ Hello Cheater Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 In his project Arrows, Mumbai-based musician David Britto collaborates with different artistes. After teaming up with singers Siddharth Basrur and Raghav Meattle in earlier songs, he is now joined by The Lightyears Explode on 'Hello Cheater'. The song's title is self-explanatory, and the lines "Hello cheater, can you guess who? It's your conscience talking to you" open the song. While David has written and composed the track, vocalist-guitarist Saurabh Roy and bassist Shalom Benjamin do neat jobs. The video, directed by Blake D'Silva, features Christina Lobo, Aniruddh Shenoy and Kirsten Varela. Like Blake's earlier video for the Arrows-Basrur track 'Buried To Dust', this is crisp and classy. Zarir Marfatia ft Sahir/ Seen And Heard Label: Self-released  Rating: ***  In his earlier songs, Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Zarir Marfatia has alwa...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  The Smile/ A Light For Attracting Attention Genre: Experimental rock/ alternative  Label: XL Recordings Rating: **** 1/2 Over the past three decades, UK-based Radiohead has been one of the most experimental and cutting-edge bands, constantly pushing the envelope with their sonic palette. Now, two of their members, vocalist Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood, gang up to form the band The Smile, which made a surprise live appearance last year. Joined by drummer Tom Skinner of the prog-jazz/ worldbeat outfit Sons Of Kemet, the musicians try out newer things on their debut album A Light For Attracting Attention . And with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich added to the mix, you can't but help finding a lot of Radiohead elements here, specially tracing back to the Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief albums. Call this post-Radiohead, if you please, but the trio spring surprise after surprise, with Greenwood even adding some frenzied basswork. The sound is a ble...

( Picture :  Rohansh Pandit with Javed Ali at the song launch at The Club, Andheri, Mumbai) BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Rohansh Pandit ft Javed Ali & Andrea Jeremiah/ Say No To War Label; Self-released  Rating: **** Rohansh Pandit, son of ace music director Lalit Pandit, makes his debut with the song 'Say No To War'. As the title suggests, it is a song with a message, much needed in these strife-torn times. A bilingual number sung by Javed Ali and Andrea Jeremiah, it has lyrics by Rahul B. Seth, with inputs from Anoushka Sivashankar and Rohansh himself. The composition has a strong melody, with good correlation of English and Hindi words, crisp back-up vocals and a short guitar solo by Richard Mithra. The song is adorned by lines like "Aao milke hum yahaan rok le yeh nafraton ka karvaan" and "Pray to the Lord to show us the path and fill everyone with compassion and love". The video, a collage of representative images, goes perfectly with the treatment. This is ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  The Indica Project/ Time Travel Genre: Fusion  Label: Self-released  Rating: **** In 1998, the Indica Project hit the headlines with the album Horn Ok Please , whose title was inspired by a sign commonly found at the back of trucks and other four-wheelers in India. Comprising guitarist-composer D Wood and bassist Storms, the group seamlessly blended Indian sounds with western jazz and global melodies. They now return with Time   Travel,  following pretty much the same mix, but coming up with some interesting and diverse sounds over eight tunes. As a genre, one could describe it as world music, experimental fusion or even crossover. Either way, the music is eclectic and charming, with surprises constantly being sprung. Thus, you have phone recorded messages, temple bells and handclaps by eunuchs, blending effortlessly with guitar, Roland VG8 guitar processor, bass, horns, violin and flute, with Indian and kit percussion thrown in equal measu...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Lakhwinder Wadali/ Benaqab Label: Zee Music Originals Rating: **** The son of qawwali maestro Puran Chand Wadali, Lakhwinder Wadali has been regularly accompanying his father at shows. He also releases his own songs, mostly ballads, on an intermittent basis. On his new release 'Benaqab', Lakhwinder's singing has the right nuances. The video has a dash of humour, and shows him playing a bumpkin being obsessed with a beautiful lady he spots regularly. Rehmat Rattan (in picture) plays the female lead, and the Kashmir locales are beautifully captured. Composer Aar Bee and lyricist M.S. Abid use a ghazal style, with bansuri and lead guitar embellishing the arrangements. Overall, it's Lakhwinder's voice that rules, and the song has shades of the 1960s film classics. Aman Moroney ft Prateeksha Shrivastava/ Aarzuu Kaise Khojun  Label: Springboard Records Rating: *** Producer Aman Moroney and singer Prateeksha Shrivastava had earlier worked together on the...

(Picture: The Sassy Songbirds with Louiz Banks) BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Various artistes/ International Jazz Day 2022 Curated by: Louiz Banks Show details: Tata Theatre, NCPA Mumbai, April 30 Genre: Jazz Rating: *** 1/2 Tata Theatre was packed on Saturday night, and the audience attending the International Jazz Day concert knew exactly when to clap. They did it when veterans like Louiz Banks and Gary Lawyer came on stage, and they did it if a totally unknown newcomer played a fabulous solo. The crowd also knew when to express its disappointment, as it did when it couldn't hear a vocalist or pianist, or found the drums too loud, thanks to an erratic mix. Despite the technical issues that cropped up once in a while, the show had many highs. There was definitely a wider range of sounds, in comparison to earlier Jazz Day gigs. From standards to jazz-laced soul-pop, from solo-based fusion to world music, from originals to adaptations of popular tunes, the palette was pretty eclectic. The th...