narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Mohit Chauhan/ Sheheron Ki Shaam Label: Mohit Chauhan Music  Rating: **** When you think of Mohit Chauhan, you often think of gentle, soulful melodies and lush natural surroundings. His latest song 'Sheheron Ki Shaam', from the album Musafir,  provides just that kind of a feeling. Donning his trademark cap and strumming his guitar, he sings Prathana Gahilote's lines, "Sheheron ki har shaam udaas lage hain mujhe, door pahaadon par koi yaad karein hai mujhe". A harmonica adds to the guitar beauty. Parasher Baruah's video has been shot partly in the Ziro Valley of Arunachal Pradesh and partly in the midst of well-lit highrises. Mohit's voice is captivating as ever, and the song has a serenity that takes you back to the 'Boondein' title track. Sadu/ Tujhme Dooboon Zara Label: Sadu Music Rating: *** 1/2 A former member of the Indipop group Aryans, Sadasivan K.M. Nambisan aka Sadu has displayed melody in his solo pop tunes and ghazals...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Studio tour: Synergy Audio Productions,Gurugram The full video of the interview is below. But before that, a few paragraphs to set the context. His 2023 album Stung Out To Dry was a beauty, getting a five-star rating in this blog. A former member of the Delhi rock band Cyanide, singer-songwriter Rohan Solomon is equally passionate about music recording and production. He thus started his state-of-the-art facility Synergy Audio Productions in Gurugram. This blogger visited the place on a cold winter day, and was greeted by warmth everywhere - in the lounge room temperature, the Chinese lunch and the regular coffee, besides the reception by him and his team. With a pool table greeting you and smaller room specially made for leisure and gaming, it looked like a very informal set-up. Yet, as one went on a quick tour to the main recording rooms, one gathered a lot of thought, dedication and hard work have gone into setting up and maintaining this space. Yet, like in...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Dream Theater/ Parasomnia  Genre : Progressive metal Label : Inside Out Music Rating : **** If one can have dreams, one can also have nightmares. The world of sleep is like a theater, filled with various emotions and disruptions.  Welcome to American progressive metal band Dream Theater's new album Parasomnia , which as the title suggests, is themed around sleep disorders. For the Dream Theater fan, the album is significant as it marks the return of drummer Mark Portnoy after 16 years, since he last appeared on Black Clouds & Silver Linings . Though the interim replacement Mike Mangini was solid in his own way, Portnoy's comeback is a revival of the classic line-up of him, vocalist James McBrie, guitarist John Petrucci, keyboardist Jordan Rudess and bassist John Myung. In the band's trademark manner, Parasomnia shuffles between songs of various lengths, from the one-and-a-half minute filler 'Are We Dreaming?' to the nearly-20-minute epic nam...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Rahul U/ Paisa Kamao Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Here's a hip-hop number with a sense of humour, and a super-cool video to match. On 'Paisa Kamao', Rahul U. sings about the obsession of many people - to make money. The video, conceptualised by Devang Nagarkar, has a large team of actors. It's a fun film with fast-changing frames and a range of facial expressions. The words are on target, as Rahul writes, "Maut toh aani hai, sab kuch le jaani hai, kya kya bachaayega paisa ya khaal" and "Bina rokde ka hota nahin kuch yahaan sab bole aas paas paise kamao". Sung in a rap style, they create an impact. Sarthak Bhardwaj/ Preet Label: Self-released  Rating: ***  Known for the songs 'Mehar' and 'Jaane Na De', 22-year-old Dehradun singer Sarthak Bhardwaj is now out with his new single 'Preet'. Produced by TrapGuru, it's a song about a man's yearning for love. Lyricist Ayushi Vaswani comes up with lines...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Harini Rao & Saikat Basu/ Ae Ri Sakhi Label: The Songsmiths Rating: **** There have been various renditions of Amir Khusro's 'Ae Ri Sakhi', including ones by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Shujaat Khan. What differentiates this one by Harini Rao and Saikat Basu is the addition of English lyrics, sung by the latter. The version begins with a section from Khusro's 'Sakal Ban Phool Rahi Sarson' after which Harini sings "Ae ri sakhi morey piya ghar aaye, bhaag lage is aangan ko". Saikat's English lines go, "They say there lies no fear, and tears got no place, they say there lies no ugly truth to face", with the song then getting back to Khusro's lines. Joy Solomon's piano and Shreyas Iyengar's saxophone go well with the blend. Sateesh Saladi's video captures the musicians in different performance shots. Hailing from Hyderabad, Harini has strong command over the nuances. Kaushiki Chakraborty & Shweta Mohan...