narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Film and OST: Summer Of Soul (... Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Director: Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson  Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar Duration: 1 hour 58 minutes Rating: ***** (both film and OST) It was 1969, the year of Woodstock and the historic moon landing. Around the same time, over six Sundays in July and August, a similar music festival took place not too far away. And though the Harlem Cultural Festival attracted thousands of blacks, it was quickly forgotten. Footage of the concert lay in the cupboards for 50 years. Held at the Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey) in Harlem, New York, the festival attracted the biggest names in black music. There were people of the calibre of BB King, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson and the 19-year-old Stevie Wonder. It was shot by television producer Hal Tulchin but after a couple of relays, it disappeared till filmmaker Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson decided to convert it into a documentary. Summe...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Jethro Tull/ The Zealot Gene Genre: Rock Label: InsideOut Music Rating: *** 1/2 There has been plenty of debate whether Ian Anderson's latest record should have been clubbed in the solo category or given the Jethro Tull moniker. A large section of the British band's followers felt Tull ceased to exist after long-time guitarist Martin Barre's departure, with Anderson releasing only solo albums. The frontman's opinion is that this music was created with the band in mind, and thus it is a band album. Either way, it doesn't matter. Anderson has been the brawn and brain behind the band since its debut album This Was in 1968. As such, the songs on the new album The Zealot Gene  sound like vintage Tull, and yet aren't too different from the ones appearing on the solo albums The Secret Language Of Birds and  Homo Erraticus.  In many ways, this album could have been written in the aftermath of 1979's Stormwatch, retaining the classic sound without...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Anand Bhaskar Collective/ Ufaq Label: Self-released  Rating: **** After the catchy and popular 'Jaadoogari' last year, Anand Bhaskar Collective get into full-on Hindi-rock mode on 'Ufaq' (meaning, horizon). Driven by marvellous guitar riffs and motivational lyrics by Anand Bhaskar and Nidhi Sethia, they come up with a winner. The song has great concert appeal, and audiences can sing along to the line, "Jeetna hai tujhe apne hi dam pe". In these trying times, the theme is inspirational, and the guitars, violin interlude and back-up solo lend a raw feel. Besides Anand on vocals, the band comprises guitarist Hrishi Giridhar, bassist Neelkanth Patel and drummer Shishir Tao. The animated lyrics video by Mukund Sincro adds to the effect. This is killer stuff. Shadow And Light/ Raahein Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 Comprising singer-writer Pavithra Chari and producer-keyboardist Anindo Bose, Delhi-based Shadow And Light had released their t...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  John Mellencamp/ Strictly A One-Eyed Jack  Genre: American roots-rock Label: Republic Records-Universal Rating: *** 1/2 When it comes to the American roots-rock sound, John Mellencamp has been one of the most prolific voices, since he came on the scene 46 years ago. His 24th studio album Strictly A One-Eyed Jack comes after a five-year gap, and his voice has just gotten that shade smokier, raspier and rougher. He's 70 now, and the songs thus talk about experiences and memories. "But now all has changed, remembering the shame of driving in the rain," he sings on the second song 'Driving In The Rain', before adding "I see myself and laugh, looking at the change of driving in the rain". To be sure, the album may take a couple of listens to settle in, and one finds many shades of familiar old Mellencamp. But there are a few killer tracks, with the additional treat of having contemporary Bruce Springsteen guest on three songs. The instrume...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  The Darshan Doshi Trio/ Live On Tour 2021 Label: Self-released  Genre: Jazz fusion Rating: **** One of the most prolific drummers in India, Darshan Doshi has played regularly with the main music directors in Hindi films. He's also been parallelly involved in jazz fusion, heading The Darshan Doshi Trio. The group, also comprising guitarist Rhythm Shaw and bassist Avishek Dey, has recently released a collection of live performances that took place in October last year. Two songs have guest vocalists. The result is a set of fantastic improvisational pieces, with each musician complementing each other brilliantly. The opening track 'Insrhy Master' begins with a drum passage after which Shaw and Dey get into jazz-funk mode, with a fantastic interchange with Doshi. A highlight is an adaptation of Dizzy Gillespie's iconic piece 'Night In Tunisia', played with a different feel. This is one of the two covers here, the other being 'The Shadow',...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Armaan Malik/ You Label: Self-released, licensed to SME/ Arista Rating: **** We know him for his Bollywood songs, but Armaan Malik is proficient at English pop too. Check out his work on 'You', a love song that impresses with its melody and hook. Malik teams up with Jack Edwards on composition, creating an acoustic guitar based tune. The lyrics, credited to Jack, Natania Lalwani and Felicia Ferraro, have relatable lines like, "I've never been the one for sounding clichéd but it's true, all I do is think about you". The song has a global appeal, and definitely needs to be pushed abroad. The video, starring Armaan and Emma Declercq, complements the tune perfectly. -- Kabuki Khanna/ Shadows  Label: Self-released  Rating: *** On 'Shadows', singer-songwriter Kabuki Khanna uses a progressive house sound to talk of peace and unity. Like many songs in the genre, this has a club vibe, regular tempo changes and lyrics to sing along to. The wo...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Cyrano/ Motion Picture Soundtrack  Music: Bryce Dessner and Aaron Dessner Label: Universal Music Rating: ***** To begin with, an introduction to the Dessner brothers is in order. Twins Aaron and Bryce are part of the American alt-rock band The National, playing multiple roles including guitarist, keyboardist and composer. A part of the group Big Red Machine, Aaron has also produced the Taylor Swift albums Folklore and  Evermore, whereas Bryce has collaborated with  many A-list musicians. In 2018, they worked on Erica Schmidt's stage musical Cyrano, with lyrics written by The National frontman Matt Berninger and his wife Carin Besser. Last year, British filmmaker Joe Wright adapted that into a movie, and the Dessners worked on the music. Both these are adaptations of the Edmond Dostand's 1897 play Cyrano De Bengerac , written in poetry form and staged by many, with Christopher Plummer also playing the lead role in the 1973 stage musical. Cyrano...