narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Hitesh Rikki Madan, Arriv Madan & Advay Madan/ Tu Bataa Label: Self-released  Rating: **** The former lead guitarist of Hindi-rock band Euphoria, Hitesh Rikki Madan later had a productive career as solo singer. A year ago, he worked with his sons Arriv and Advay on the song 'Aao Na'. The teenagers again appear with Hitesh on the pop-rock number 'Tu Bataa'. A love song for the young generation, it has the catch-line, "Tere dil mein kya hai, kya hai, tu bataa; hai sharaarat, chaahat, yeh adaa kya, tu bataa, tu bataa". While all three share vocal parts, Hitesh is on guitar, Arriv on bass and Advay on drums. The song has groove, driven by the bassline. Vishesh Verma's video captures their live performance well. Shashwat Bulusu/ Raani Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Baroda-bred singer-songwriter Shashwat Bulusu wrote 'Raani' as a 17-year-old a decade ago. The song went viral through WhatsApp forwards, attaining a cult followin

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR micumice feat. Sarah Jane Dias/ In Your Eyes Label: Throan Of Art Music Rating: **** Guitarist-composer Micu Patel aka micumice, a regular on Mumbai's live circuit, is joined by singer Sarah Jane Dias on 'In Your Eyes'. It's a chilled out, trendy duet which some marvellous production and a classy video. While micumice also plays guitars, Rohan chips in with santoor. The ending lines are, "Oh baby shine your light, don't let me fall into the sky; my heart is aching just to see that smile in your eyes". The black n' white video has a nice forest backdrop. Both Sarah and micumice play their parts, blending into the song's mood naturally. Anushka J/ Autumn Daze Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 Anushka J is a 16-year-old Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter who has earlier released reimagined versions of Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good' and the Imagine Dragons song 'Radioactive'. In both cases she teamed up with guit

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR KRi8.LABs feat Uzair Merchant/ The 8th Sin Supported by; Vevo Rating: *** In his new project 'The 8th Sin', released under the name KRi8.LABs, filmmaker and tech wiz Uzair Merchant blends music and AI to create a cutting-edge sound and video. The whole approach is futuristic, as the song tells the story of Mia, a scientist on a mission to save her daughter from an extremist group. The sound is a blend of Arabic and Bollywood textures with straightahead rapping. The video, shot in Doha, Los Angeles and Vancouver, has a distinct Marvel influence, and adds a new dimension to what would otherwise be a routine club-friendly track. Shrae/ Strawberry Pancakes Label: Self-released  Rating: *** The vocalist of the band Jazzafools, Shrae has released her second single 'Strawberry Pancakes'. She had released her debut 'A Game For Two' last year. The song talks of dealing with pain, finding hope and moving on "one step at a time". Shrae's vo

Pics: Rudy & The Kool Kats (above), Arinjoy Sarkar and (below article) poster for John Blue Ensemble  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR The Arinjoy Trio (June 7)/ Rudy & The Kool Kats (June 8) Venue: The Studio, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, BKC Genre: Blues Rating: **** (both shows) With names like Rudy Wallang and Arinjoy Sarkar on the roster, audiences were certain they would get to hear the best blues from India. While Kolkata-based The Arinjoy Trio performed at the NMACC Studio on June 7, Rudy played with his new Shillong band Rudy & The Kool Kats the following day. Needless to say, both days provided a treat. Unlike the extra-popular Mahindra Blues Festival, sprawled across different sections of Bandra's Mehboob Studio, or the chatter-laced blues gigs one visits at clubs, these were purely sit-down affairs. There was no alcohol - unless one tanked up in advance or smuggled in a hip-flask. Moreover, the shows were bang in the middle of the week, on Wednesday and Thursday. T

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  The Eli Ali Project feat. Eliezer Botzer and Lucky Ali/ Virtuality  Label: Self-released  Rating: **** The Eli Ali Project consists of Israeli musician Eliezer Botzer and our very own Lucky Ali. After using Hebrew, Hindi and English on their earlier tracks 'On My Way' and 'Amaraya', the singers stick entirely to English on their new release 'Virtuality'. Bob Stark's lyrics talk of the dangers.of the virtual world and artificial intelligence, requesting people to stay grounded. The song has a nice groove, tight orchestra and supple back-up vocals. Despite being totally in English, there's a certain Indianness and Arabness in the sound. Of course, it doesn't stand out as a Lucky Ali song. Add to that a fabulous video blending live shots from pre-war Ukraine with animated parts. Directed by Sasha Prilutsky, it's a classy affair.  Kaustubh Patil/ The One That You Needed Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 Mumbai singer-songwrite

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Vishal Mishra & Shreya Ghoshal/ Zihaal-e-Miskin  Label: VYRL Originals  Rating: *** The original 'Zihaal-e-Miskin' was written by the legendary poet Amir Khusro over 700 years ago. Performed by successive generations, it was later adapted by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Gulzar in the 1985 film Ghulami . Now we have a fresh variant, with composer Javed-Mohsin and lyricist Kunaal Vermaa. The song is about heartbreak and besides being well sung by Vishal Mishra and Shreya Ghoshal, it features a large orchestra of musicians playing live. The video directed by Dhruwal Patel and Jigar Mulani has a dramatic air, and models Rohit Zinjurke and Nimrit Ahluwalia make a good pair. Yet, at the end of the day, it's nothing more than another attempt to reproducing old hits for younger tastes - another example being the Jugjugg Jeeyo song 'Rangisaari', which is primarily based on a thumri popularised by Shobha Gurtu. And in the case of 'Zihaal-e-Miskin',