Home/Entertainment/Music/Latest Albums

Latest Album Reviews

Aaeena 

Meri Jaan

Oh! Laila

Aks

Kehna To Hai


Album: Aaeena 
Artist: Jagjit Singh
Label: Universal 

The songs are like a caress on your skin. Rest assured, Jagjit Singh's newest offering, Aaeena, attempts a dalliance with the different emotions of hope, sorrow, loss, regret and meditation, and succeeds beautifully. The album has drawn from a pool of talent for lyrics. This, interwoven with Singh's superior music, makes for a vintage collection, to be treasured for a long time.

The title track, Tera chehra hai aaeene jaisa, is a voice of hope. The euphoria is languorous, as Singh holds your hand and takes you through the nuances of a woman's beauty. Uski baten to phool hon jaise takes on a slightly different turn. A kiss of pleasant memories make their appearance here, and this is a slight veering from the theme of pathos unconsciously established. Parakhana mat is filled with wisdom, as is evident in the line Bade logon se hamesha faasla rakhna. The song also has its moments of hope.Phir nazar se pila dijiye is another brush with ecstasy, but there is nothing hurried about it.

Side B, it opens with the masterful Muskurakar mila karo humse, which is a honeyed rendition of hope and futility. Disillusionment takes over in Kanton se daaman uljhana, and Singh is a in a meditative mood here. A tapestry of emotions is explored here. Side B closes with Badal ki tarah jhoom ke, which is intoxicating. The song invokes Bacchus, and typifies an important characteristic of the genre. Aaeena is another of Jagjit Singh's gems. Though it does not belong to the high-profile cadre of Marasim, it slowly finds a place in your heart.



Album: Meri Jaan
Artist: Vasundhara
Label: Magnasound

Vasundhara, who played the second wife of Kamal Hassan in Hey Ram and impressed audiences with her performance, has completed her album of eight songs called Meri Jaan. Pravin Mani has composed the songs. The maiden number, Meri jaan, is a haunting melody with interesting variations in tempo and lilting stretches. It lingers in your memory long after the song ceases. However, the rest of the numbers are mediocre in tune.

The lyrics by Piyush Mishra. Take the song Bheegi dastan, which has lines like Bheegi bheegi hai dastaan, roshni bheegi hai, baatein beehgi, bheegi sara hai daur bheegi si hai aasman , bheegi si hai zamin. It creates a certain atmosphere, a mood, this playing on one emotion and word. Or take the song, Dhoondti hoon jise mera mehboob hai rahat ke jaisa hai, kudrat ke jaisa hai. As a singer, Vasundhara is yet to mature. Though her low-pitched voice has its own appeal, she does not always seem to hit the exact sur. She sings with a certain passion, but her voice lacks musical maturity. Her voice throw reminds one of the late Nazia Hassan. Here is a singer of promise nevertheless, who can grow if she adds dedicated training to her basic talent. 


Album: Oh! Laila 
Artist: Stereo Nation
Label: T Series 

This is end of the year dance music from the UK-based group called Stereo Nation. This is not music for you to sit and listen to, but music which compels you to gyrate to it. If you are a die-hard fusion music fan, Oh! Laila will make you happy. For what is served by Stereo Nation are twelve musical numbers, born out of different kinds of fusion.

There is the very big influence of Punjabi folk firmly married to western pop. English and Hindi lyrics merge and consolidate that evolving language called Hinglish, like it or not. The title song Oh! Laila has a little bit of alap, an indispensable element of Indian classical music and some rap thrown in to this. Songs like Galan gooriyan and Nachna show heavy dabs of bhangra, which is natural considering this group is based in London. The songs are all predictably about love. Here’s no great melody; songs like Pyar ho gaya have just about passable tunes. What can grab you is the energy of the renditions, an infectious energy. What really appeals to me are the sounds of the guitar and the violin in the album. Otherwise, as the names of various songs in the album suggest, Let’s go dancing, Nachnege sari raat and Nachna, this is essentially music meant for dance. You can dance to this one, this New Year’s Eve, if you please. If music be the food for dance, play on. 


Album: Aks
Artist: Lucky Ali
Label: Sony Music 

Mehmood's son Lucky Ali, who is based in New Zealand, brings us the sense of thehrao (stillness, lack of frenzy) and the virgin beauty of New Zealand with his third album Aks - a collection of ten songs.

His music composition makes heavy use of guitars, percussion and keyboards. The human voice does not dominate as it does in conventional Indian music. His voice merges with that of the other instruments to produce a rich, wholesome music. On the side of lyrics, we are on familiar terra firma. Written by Lucky Ali himself, the lyrics are about love and life. Simple and smooth. Nature - rivers, water, sun, moon - figure largely in his lyrics. The songs in Aks may be accused of sounding the same. There are no highs and no lows in this album. Like the uncluttered land and the clear blue sky of New Zealand, the lyrics and the compositions are clean and free of all turbulence. A rhythmic song like Pyar ki duniya may slightly mount the tempo of the music, but the album quickly slides back into its slow, languorous pace, exuding the swaying quality of palms on a breezy evening. However, the very unhurried nature of this music can make Lucky Ali's Aks ideal stuff for stressed urban souls. This is certainly music that can relax your muscles and your mind. 


Album: Kehna To Hai
Artist: Kumar Sanu
Label: Wings 

Illustrious virtuosity need not always work. A classic case is Kumar Sanu’s new album, Kehna To Hai. The line-up is impressive - Rajesh Roshan, fresh from the success of Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai scores the music, while the trio of lyricists comprise Ibrahim Ashq, Dev Kohli and Vijay Akela. Sanu makes a valiant attempt to rid himself of the nasal twang hangover, but fails. The album, unlike the name of the record company promoting it, simply fails to take flight.

Let us try and count the blessings first. Well, there is the title track Kehna To Hai, which is your quintessential serenade with a distinct early-evening feel. Roshan’s music is not path breaking, but it manages to hold the song together. Still counting? Well, blessing No 2 comes in the form of Kya tum wahi ho, which stands out because of its experimentation. You have the cry of a bird competing for vocal space with Sanu, and this time, the singer excels, at least a wee bit. The song is somewhat like a breath of fresh air, and it is planted right in the middle of Side 2, so that you can be suitably revived after listening to the jaded efforts in between.The screechy surprise is right at the end. Sanu teams up with unheard-of mutterer Kavita Nalwa, for Dheere dheere pyar. Kehna To Hai will not be the most remembered Valentine album.