AUDIO REVIEWS

PYAR KIYA TO DARNA KYA
T-Series; Rs. 38
Here’s an album which is sure to pep up your spirits with some good numbers. Out of the seven numbers, five have been composed by Jatin-Lalit, while Himesh Reshamiya and Sajid-Wajid share credits for two songs. The first song Odh li chunariya, composed by Himesh, has a catchy beat and the melody reminds you of a golden oldie. Teri jawani badi mast mast hai composed by Sajid-Wajid, is in the mould of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s sufi qawwali. Iqbal and Afzal Sabri’s high-pitch rendition makes it highly effective. Oh baby and Deewana main chala are typical Jatin-Lalit numbers, while Chhad zid karna is yet another version of Stereo Nation’s Don’t break my heart, sung with a lot of verve by Udit Narayan and Anuradha Paudwal. Anuradha excels yet again in the soulful O sathiya, o beliya. But the highlight of the album is the last number O o jaane jaana sung by Kamal Khan. The tune is infectious and Kamal truly possesses kamaal ki awaaz. If at all this London-based singer decides to stay back, he is sure to give the Sonu Nigams a run for their money. So good is the number that you want to hear it over and over again, and it alone makes the album worth going for.

HUM DEEWANE PYAR KE
Tips; Rs. 32
This album comprises eight numbers which are quite disappointing. The title song, which thankfully comes in the end, turns you off. It has Vinod Rathod hollering some utterly meaningless lyrics by Rani Malik. Same goes for the rest. The composers Anup-Anil suffer from a major Nadeem-Shravan hangover. The music faintly reminds one of the music of Phool Aur Kaante. It has capable singers like Bhupendra Singh, Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik merely going through the routine of singing, without taking the least effort to slightly improvise on an outdated score. All in all, a forgettable but unforgivable effort.

MASTI
Merica; Rs. 45
Living upto its name, this sure proves to be a fun album. It picks up eight popular dance numbers, which have been remixed and sung by the new breed of singers, and will compel you to shake a leg. You have Hema Sardesai singing Eena mina deeka and Parvez Kader singing the Nazia Hassan hit Disco deewane. Both, however, do a poor job of copying. But Arvinder Singh and Jojo do a good job of Hey babu and Lal lal gaal respectively. On the flipside, Hema impresses you with Rambha ho. Actually, she sings it even better than Usha Uthup. She is competent even in Mud mud ke na dekh and Cat mane billi. The songs have been skillfully remixed and there are no jarring insertions or rapping to hamper the listening pleasure.

FIX TO MIX - VOL-2
Venus; Rs. 32
The second volume in the remix series by the above name, this one has a compilation of 10 interesting numbers, from films and private albums, remixed by Harry and Vipin Anand. What’s different is the choice of numbers, which is just not limited to films, but also includes a ghazal and two qawwalis. Among film numbers you have Suniye to from Yes Boss, Neela duppatta from Hameshaa, Tum mere ho from Betaabi and Aaja meri gaadi mein baith jaa from Miss 420. The non-film numbers remixed are Altaf Raja’s popular qawwali Aaj ki raat na ja pardesi and Talat Aziz’s ghazal Chanda teri chandni. The popular marriage song Didi tera devar deewana from Hum Aapke Hain Koun! has been sung here by Sonali Vajpaiyee. But re-mixing and re-singing take away its charm. Ditto is the case with the evergreen qawwali Yeh ishq ishq hai from Barsaat Ki Raat. Singers Shankar Mahadevan and Aditi Sahani who sing it, make a mess of it. One hopes that such immortal qawwalis are left alone and untouched. Jhoom barabar jhoom sharabi, sung by Mahadevan again, is the only old qawwali which sounds right in its remixed version. For remix buffs, this one is surely a bonanza.

ZARA HAT KE
Pen Audio; Rs. 40
Zara Hat Ke is a non-film album characterised by shrill vocals, bawdy lyrics and tapori music. The lyricist, Shaheen Iqbal and composer, Babu Kishan, obviously still rely on caveman tactics to do their wooing. However, if you ignore their demeaning descriptions of women, (like Time Bomb, Bum Ka Gola, Please give me Choli etc.), the lyrics are downright laughable. But perseverence pays here. If you can manage to suffer this ordeal on Side A, and still emerge unscathed, Side B has two delightful, hummable numbers, Phoolon jaisa and Kuch ladkiyan. These two numbers prove that the composer and the lyricist can come up with good stuff if they want to.

BRASS-HOP - Coolbone
PolyGram; Rs. 95
Coolbone, the eight-man rap act from New Orleans, a city famous for its multi-cultural roots, has come out with an amalgam of hip-hop and brass band jazz called, what else, Brass-Hop. The home-town’s cosmopolitan influence shows in every note on Coolbone’s sound and every line of lyric. Particularly worth a listen are the title song, Brass-hop, Mellow Roo, Float like a butterfly, The middle passage and Nothin’ but strife on Side A and Changing hands and Multitude of blues on the flip side.

This album may be well worth a buy for it’s unique sound.

POSTCARDS FROM HEAVEN - Lighthouse Family
PolyGram; Rs. 95
In the mood for some good old pop? Lighthouse Family’s Postcards From Heaven may be the album you’re looking for, with its simple, unpretentious lines and delightful sound. Strangely, the two-man band comprising Paul Tucker and Tunde Baiyewu, have saved their best number, their title track, for the last. There are other songs that make for compulsive listening, too, such as Sun in the night, Question of faith and Once in the blue moon on Side A and When I was younger and Lost in space on Side B.

NEW RELEASES

SHIV-SAGAR BARAH JYOTIRLING
This two-cassette set has eight bhajans in each devoted to Lord Shiva and sung by leading singers like Anup Jalota, Sadhana Sargam, Nitin Mukesh, Narendra Chanchal and Mahendra Kapoor. Music has been composed by Kuldeep Singh and lyrics have been written by Balbir Nirdosh.
Tips; Rs. 60 (2 cassettes)

OM SAI NAMAH
An album of bhajans devoted to Shirdi Saibaba sung by Ravindra Bijur and composed by Mangesh Sawant. The concept is by Anant Panchal and is sure to be lapped up by Sai bhakts.
Sangeet; Rs. 30

AAKASHICHA DEVA
An album of eight bhakti geets in ode to dawn sung by Ajit Kadkade. Music has been composed by Sanjay Raj Gaurinandan and lyrics have been written by Sanjay Upadhayay.
Krunal Music; Rs. 30

ALBUM OF WEEK

SAMAA HAI SUHANA
Venus; Rs. 30
There are cover versions and cover versions, but this one stands out simply because it’s the best and has really been worked hard on. This is the fourth volume in which 10 of the evergreen songs of the inimitable Kishore Kumar have been sung by Abhijeet. He renders the songs just like Kishore Kumar, but not once does he try to imitate the legendary singer. Rather Abhijeet adds his own touch to each of the carefully selected haunting melodies, thus doing justice to both, the original singer and himself. The compilation includes songs like Sama hai suhana, Nadiya se dariya, Kuch to log kahenge, Phoolon ke rang se, Diye jalte hain and Thandi hawa yeh chandni suhani, all of which are rendered feelingly by Abhijeet. In some songs, like Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi from Khamoshi, one can even say that Abhijeet improves upon the original version, making it a perfect tribute to his idol. It is obvious that he has put his heart and soul into it. The quality of recording is excellent, and in an echo surround, the songs make more impact. Conoisseurs of music shouldn’t miss this one.

 

FILM ALBUMS / HINDI '97
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10	Dil To Pagal Hai Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya Saat Rang Ke Sapne Ishq Zor Pardes Bada Din Keemat Kabhi Na Kabhi 2001	[HMV] [T-Series] [T-Series] [Baba] [plus] [Tips] [HMV] [Venus] [Bombino] [Time]

 

POP ALBUMS / INDIAN '97
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10	Nasha - Pankaj Udhas Best Of Daler Mehndi - Daler Mehndi Humnasheen - Pankaj Udhas Nigodi Kaisi Jawani Hai - Richa Sharma Greatest Dance Remix-2 - Various I Love You - Udit Narayan Ho Jayegi Balle Balle - Daler Mehndi Mohabbat Kar Le - Shaimak Davar Deewane ToDeewane Hain - Shweta Naya Naya Pyar - Various	[PolyGram] [Magnasound] [PolyGram] [T-Series] [HMV] [Wings] [Magnasound] [Polygram] [Magnasound] [Plus]

 

MUSIC ALBUMS / ENGLISH '97
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10	Let's Talk About Love - Celine Dion Aquarium - Aqua Maxi Dance - Various MTV Unplugged - Bryan Adams Now 3 - Various Most Wanted Boys - Various Time - Peter Andre Essential Dance - Various Greatest Hits - Richard Marx Spice World - Spice Girls	[Sony] [BMG-Crescendo] [Plus Music] [PolyGram] [PolyGram] [Polygram] [BMG-Crescendo] [Milestone] [Milestone] [Milestone]

 

UK TOP TEN
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10	Dil To Pagal Hai Zor Aflatoon Ishq Yugpurush Lal Badshah Saat Rang Ke Sapne Pardes Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya Naseeb	[HMV] [Plus Music] [T-Series] [Baba] [T-Series] [Pen Audio] [T-Series] [Tips] [T-Series] [Zee Music]