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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Taba Chake/ Kahani Promoted by: Believe  Rating: **** While Arunachal Pradesh-born singer Taba Chake's new song 'Kahani' is likeable in its own right, it's the video that takes it to another level. Playing the lead is an old couple, whose love for each other remains undiminished despite challenges. Directed by Bengia Morto, the video shows an array of characters, making it a family film. The lines go, "Maine likhi hai kahaniyan, tere liye main sapne dekhoon, yaadon se Judi teri baatein hain, kho na jaaoon un pal mein". Taba has a natural style of singing, which suits this song's story-telling style format. The guitars build up the mood. And the old couple deserve a pat for performance. Apurva Kedia/ Chal Label: Self-released  Rating: *** Originally from Ranchi and now settled in Mumbai, singer-songwriter Apurva Kedia had released her single 'Kusum' last year. She's now out with her new song 'Chal'. The words talk of t

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Faheem Abdullah & Rauhan Malik/ Ishq Label: Artist First/ TM Music Rating: ***** Pakistani poet Amir Ameer's well-known creation 'Chal Aa Aisi Nazm Likhoon' gets a Sufi-rock interpretation in this version called 'Ishq', composed and sung by Kashmiri artistes Faheem Abdullah and Rauhan Malik. The song, which features in the album Lost: Found , begins with the lines, "Main aa likhoon tu aa jaaye, main baith likhoon tu aa baithe, mere shaane par sar rakhe tu, main neend likhoon tu so jaaye". The song is in chaste Urdu with an additional Kashmiri line at the end. The guitars and tight rhythms add the rock element. Some parts faintly remind you of the Beatles song 'With A Little Help From My Friend'. That may be a sub-conscious similarity but otherwise the song is super. There's a music video too, directed by Faheem Abdullah himself and starring Samreen Kaur and Mir Tafazul, created as an eight-minute film. Shot in Kashmir, i

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Parikrama/ Live At Mahindra Independence Rock 2022 Genre : Rock Format : Vinyl/ limited edition pressing Label : Free School Street Records; c&p Parikrama Inc Price : Rs 2,500/- Rating : **** Over three decades after they were formed in 1991, Delhi rock band Parikrama continue to shine on the live circuit. This blogger last saw them at the Bandland gig in Bengaluru last December, and what a gig that was, coming before Deep Purple. Equally memorable was Parikrama's performance in the comeback edition of Mumbai's premier rock outing Independence Rock, this time under the name Mahindra Independence Rock. A live recording of that phenomenal November 6 2022 performance at Mumbai's Bayview Lawns is now available on vinyl through Kolkata-based Free School Street Records. The recording has been mixed and mastered from original multi-track recording by Keshav Dhar, with additional mastering for vinyl by Rajiv Pandey in Dallas, US. It is dedicated to Parikrama