narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Neela/ You'll Never Know Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Toronto-based singer-songwriter Neelam Khare aka Neela's latest talk 'You'll Never Know' is about domestic violence, and the liberation that comes from healing. Her powerful voice and Sarah Maclachlan-esque style address feelings of resentment and acceptance with just the right emotion. The video by Purusha Anokhei takes inspiration from the character of Kali, and adds to the powerful nature of the song, which has lines like, "How will you tell your daughter one day the sins and the crimes you can't take back". The video has an art-cinema look that makes it classy. However, one wonders why it's only two and a half minutes long when the actual song spans over four minutes. Pranav Bhasin feat. Rohini Maiti/ Screaming On The Fly Label: Jugaad Motion Pictures Rating; ** 1/2 Composer, lyricist and producer Pranav Bhasin collaborates with singer Rohini Maiti on 'Screaming

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Daku/ Tu Mera Ghar Label: Sony Music  Rating: *** 1/2 This is an interesting song that talks of the bond between mother and daughter. Written, composed and sung by Darshan Kataria aka Daku, 'Tu Mera Ghar' has a simple, hummable melody. The words are, "Tu mera ghar hai, tu meri chhaon, mera ab sab kuchh, tere naam; Tu mera rab hai, tu hai shyam, mera ab sab kuchh, tere naam". The song also talks of the importance of being selfless. Hasmukh Belani's flute floats around like a butterfly. The animated video, directed by Aariz Saiyed, has a smooth narrative that matches the words. All in all, this song has a feelgood quality that's welcome. Pratibha Singh Baghel & Deepak Pandit with Budapest Symphony Orchestra/ Mere Hamnafas Label: Sufiscore Rating: *** 1/2 The famous ghazal 'Mere Humnafas Mere Humnawa', written by Shakeel Badayuni, has been sung by many artistes, foremost being Begum Akhtar and Farida Khanum. What's different abo

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Event : NCPA Soulful Blues Festival Artistes : Beatrice Kahl & b.groovy with Joan Faulkner & David Tobin; Natalie Williams and The Soul Family Genre : Soul, funk, pop Details : Tata Theatre, Nariman Point, March 18 and 19 Rating : *** 1/2 For the two-day NCPA Soulful Blues Festival, the interval had been extended to 25 minutes, which probably lasted 35. The idea was to let people chill over a drink, grab a leisurely bite or simply indulge in hi-hello-how-are-you. Many folks at the Tata Theatre also had an earworm during the break. On the opening night, it was Michael Jackson's 'Man In The Mirror', sung by David Tobin who guested with pianist Beatrice Kahl's group b.groovy. The following day, it was Cyndi Lauper's super-hit 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', performed by Natalie Williams and The Soul Family (in picture). Both these songs were played just before half-time whistle. Now, one may insist that both were pop songs. So where we

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Project Damru feat. Isheeta Chakrvarty & Pratik Shrivastava/ Kaa Label: Neti Neti Records  Rating: ***** Project Damru is the marvellous brainchild of music producer Ashish Jha. On 'Kaa', he teams up with vocalist Isheeta Chakrvarty and sarod player Pratik Shrivastava to create a fabulous blend of organic Indian sounds, suave electronica and cinema-styled layering. The tune starts with an infectious choral vocal line, followed by cross-harmonies and steady build-up. Isheeta then sings, "Dariya dariya dhoondoon mein usko, doobti rahoon ishq mein" before the melodic sarod takes over. Intricate rhythmic patterns and lush arrangements create a global effect, and the repeated vocal chant lingers on as an earworm. Splendid work. Abhanga Repost/ Vrukshavalli Amha Soyare  Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Abhanga Repost had a fantastic show at the Mahindra Roots Festival in Mumbai last month, blending traditional Marathi abhangas with modem arrangemen

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Alba Santos, Anurag Naidu, Aniel Someillan & Isaias Alves/ Odyssey  Label: Various Rating: **** This album has an interesting tale behind it. Four musicians from different countries got together in Sri Lanka just before the Pandemic, and began working on a project together. Odyssey was an intensive, exciting experience that lasted only six days, including conceptualisng, composing, arranging and recording the songs. Using their personal influences and diverse styles, and without any pre-conceived plans, Spanish vocalist Alba Santos, Indian pianist Anurag Naidu, Cuban bassist Aniel Someillan and Brazilian drummer-percussionist Isaias Alves created eight songs. The result is a heady blend of sounds, which could be broadly classified under the world music category, with a good sprinkling of jazz, rhythm n' blues, lounge, flamenco, Latin American sounds, funk. new age and neo-soul. Vocalist Alba and pianist Anurag combine effectively on the melodies, and are bac

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Corner Cafe Chronicles/ Homebound Label: Self-released  Rating: **** The group Corner Cafe Chronicles hit the headlines three years ago with the EP  Renaissance , followed by the single 'DIY Generation'. Their sound is a heady and energetic blend of electronica and psychedelic rock. The band's latest track 'Homebound' goes into heavier space with vocal delays, swanky synths and crackling guitars. One finds shades of late 1990s alternative and post-grunge too. Frontman Chinmay Patkar sounds super on the line, "Don't you want to know, don't you wanna know, babe?" The song is about an artiste's yearning for identity. While bassist Soumitra Vichare has stayed with the band, there has been a change in guitarist and drummer. Chinmay holds the group together and creates a rocker. Aruna/ Confessions Label: Self-released  Rating: *** India-bred, London-based singer-songwriter Aruna has released her song 'Confessions', which ta

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Concert : Aye Mohabbat, a tribute to Begum Akhtar  Artistes : Tushar Bhatia (curator), Aditi Banerjee, Sraboni Chaudhuri Shivani Vaswani  Details ; Experimental Theatre, NCPA, March 3 Rating : *** 1/2 (Note: Picture sourced from social media - left to right, Shivani Vaswani, Sraboni Chaudhuri, Tushar Bhatia, Aditi Banerjee) Over 48 years after she passed away, Begum Akhtar's recordings still attract a huge number of fans. Whether she sang ghazals or thumris, her style of presentation and the dard in her voice set her apart. Akhtar's songs were played at two events held over the weekend. On Friday, the tribute show 'Aye Mohabbat' was curated by Tushar Bhatia at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA. Here, singers Aditi Banerjee, Sraboni Chaudhuri and Shivani Vaswani rendered popular compositions in the 105-minute presentation. A much more compact event was organised at the Revolver Club, Mahim, on Saturday. Curated by Bhakti Thakoor, it was a vinyl listeni

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Various artistes/ Jalalo Bilalo Promoter: Raahein By Dear Sunshine  Rating: ***** The Rajasthani folk song 'Jalalo Bilalo' has been presented by many artistes, and has even been accompanied by a ghoomar dance. This latest presentation by Raahein By Dear Sunshine retains the flavour of the song, with some additional tweaks on guitar, keyboard and bass. After an intro on Sindhi sarangi, the main vocals are sung by Anwar Khan, Husain Khan and Aslam Khan. Their coordination is superb, and they smoothly glide into the higher notes at the end, while expressing the longing of a woman in love. Traditional instruments like dhol, dholak, bhapang, morchang, khartaal and matka are used, with Risshi S. Sachdeva handling arrangement and production. Tushar Mahajan's studio-shot video brings out the sheer magnificence of the performance. On another note, will Coke Studio Bharat ever do something like this? Taba Chake/ Udd Chala Label: Self-released Rating: *** 1/2 Arun