narenmusic

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR My introduction to the Moody Blues didn't begin with 'Nights In White Satin', their most famous song. Yes, it played on the radio when I was 16 in the late 1970s, but I never paid attention. Three or four years later, a tape with the album To Our Children's Children's Children on one side and Seventh Sojourn on the other caught my attention. Not having the inlay cards, I knew little about the group members or who wrote which song, but I later discovered that John Lodge wrote the gems 'Eyes of A Child', 'Candle Of Life', 'Isn't Life Strange' and 'I'm Just A Singer In A Rock N' Roll Band'. Lodge, who passed away on Friday at the age of 82, was perhaps the most underrated of the Moody Blues members. Though he sang quite a few of the British progressive rock band's songs, played bass majestically and wrote some memorable gems, the genius and personality of vocalist and main songwriter Justin Haywar...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Akhil Sahni/ Puzzle (EP) Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 He's only 22, but Akhil Sahni displays a certain maturity in his songwriting. Hailing from Delhi, he's spent four formative years in London, and uses the piano as the main instrument to drive his songs. Akhil's debut EP Puzzle contains five songs, marked by strong lyricism and a simple approach to vocal delivery. The title track has been released as a video, where director Tushar Rochak uses a jazz bar ambience and a formally-dressed Akhil graces the piano. The opening lines are, "Some things don't end happy, they don't end at all, no closure is worse, 'cause you keep wanting more". Besides his piano, he is accompanied by violins (Fiona Griffin), bass (Aditya Shukla) and classical guitars (Dhananjay Chhetri). Akhil seems to be influenced by John Mayer, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, and that shows in his approach. On 'Ignorance', he sings, "What you don't kno...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Sonam Kalra/ Chaleya Momin Label: Self-released Rating; **** Delhi singer Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project are known for songs that blend many voices through poetry, prayer and music to create a universal language of faith. On her latest song 'Chaleya Momin', she reiterates that God is in every being, and that kindness and compassion are the only true religion. Sonam has herself written the song in Punjabi, besides composing the piece. Saptak Chatterjee provides backing vocals and arranges the song, with Deepak.Ramola writing additional lyrics. The word 'momin' means 'believer', and the main line is 'Chaleya momin chaleya, chaleya momin Makke'. Later, she sings, "Na main Hindu na Musalmaan, main te rab da banda", which is like a summary of what the song conveys. For the visualiser, Sonam has teamed up with Iranian visual artist Faezeh Sepehrsadeghian and Indian artist Gopika Chowfla. There's some very creative anim...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Raghav & Arjun feat. Amira Gill/ Khasma Nu Khaniye Label: Self-released  Rating: *** Raghav & Arjun are joined by Amira Gill in the rendition of the Punjabi heartbreak song 'Khasma Nu Khaniye'. It starts on a happy note, but the love falls apart eventually, with one person seeing it coming and the other in shock. Lyrics are shared by Arjun and Manreet Khara. Though it's a routine song with a synth-pop sound, what works is the well-shot video filmed by Akshay Nair and featuring Aditi Sandhya Sharma and Anuj Rampal. Good pairing, and something that youngsters will identify with. Five YearsFromNow/ Alvida Label: Robach Music Rating: *** Hyderabad trio Five YearsFromNow earlier made news with the tracks 'Khwahish Ke Boondein' and 'Kya Hai Tu'. Their sound is a blend of electronic music with other flavours. 'Alvida' talks of the difficulty of saying goodbye. It's a simple tune written and sung by Kai Gurung, with producer ...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Listening session/ Pt Nikhil Banerjee Conducted by ; Pt Nayan Ghosh  Genre : Hindustani classical  Details : Experimental Theatre, September 12 On January 27, 1986, the Hindustani classical world received a huge shock with the death of sitar maestro Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. He was only 54, and had been suffering health issues for a while, before having to stop mid-way during a concert in Calcutta after feeling uneasy. He was rushed to hospital where he passed away. Banerjee, known as Nikhil-da, was best known for creating his own mark in a scenario where sitar music was already dominated by two legends Pt Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan. He left behind many recordings, including some rare ones which visitors at the Experimental Theatre got to hear at a guided listening session hosted by sitar and tabla veteran Pt Nayan Ghosh on Friday. For 90 minutes, the audience was spellbound as they heard Nikhil-da's rendition of various raags, with Ghosh talk...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Salim-Sulaiman feat. Shankar Mahadevan/ Shringaar  Label: Salim-Sulaiman Music Rating: **** 1/2 Salim, Sulaiman and Shankar Mahedevan are joined by top musicians on this heartfelt tribute to tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain. 'Shringaar' is a track from the Salim-Sulaiman project Bhoomi 2025 , and even features voice and video clips of Zakir. "Without love, without music, without harmony, we are nothing," he says. How true. The prolific Shraddha Pandit writes the lyrics which begin, "Kaahe kare shringaar sajaniya, jaga tope jaaye vaar sajaniya, sab se sundar naar sajaniya, kaahe kare shringaar sajaniya". Shankar's voice flows smoothly and effortlessly. While the composition and lyrics have traditional flavours, the orchestration uses modern elements. The musicians include Salim on piano and synth, Sulaiman on Zen drums, Raj Purohit on keyboards, Purbayan Chatterjee on sitar, Rhythm Shaw on guitar, Ralph Menezes on bass, Ojas Adhiya on...