AUDIO REVIEWS

AAKROSH
Bombino; Rs. 35
Anand Raaj Anand comes up with a score which is a bit of a letdown since he had proved that he could be quite innovative with Masoom and Ghoonghat. But there are some catchy numbers which are sure to hit off well with the listeners. The first number Hello hello bolke, sung by Abhijeet and Kavita Krishnamurthy, lifts your spirits with its peppy beats and rhythm. Kavita especially is a delight in this number as she variates her voice to add zing to the number. Ujla ujla, the next number, sounds like a mix of Chaklo chaklo vada paav from Ghoonghat and Latka dikha diya humne from Hindustani. Hema Sardesai’s loud rendition makes matters worse. The singer hasn’t been her charming self after Awaara bhanware. Madhosh ho gaya main is an interesting number which comes alive with Asha Bhosle’s zestful singing. Side B has Tadke tadke, a tapori type of meaningless ditty, followed by a children’s song Picnic mein ho gaya shor, which is endearingly sung by Aditya Narayan. A passable fare which can be heard for ‘time-pass’.

MILITARY RAAJ
Merica; Rs. 35
Catchy music, hummable songs and ‘inspired’ scores maketh this Bappi Lahiri album. Balle balle, the swinging cabaret number, is sure to set feet tapping. This is the song of the album, and not surprisingly, the same number is available on the flipside too. Rim jhim is a typical filmy number sung by Kumar Sanu and Poornima, with a de ja vu sound. Chinchinak chin tu, which has Mohini’s undulating voice set against Deepak Shirke’s villainous booming, packs the punch. Inspired by the Carribean rhythm of Ossibissa, Aage se dekha rendered by Abhijeet makes for pleasant listening, while the folksy wedding song Gulabi hai gulabi is a routine fare. On the whole, it makes a good one-time listening.

MAIN KOI AISA GEET GAOON
Venus; Rs. 32
Abhijeet is on a high with two awards in tow as the best singer. As if to celebrate his victory, a timely album which has Abhijeet’s popular numbers from aaghi to Yes Boss has been compiled by Venus. The album predictably opens with his award-winning song Main koi aisa geet gaoon and is followed by fast foot-tapping numbers. Though the album is enjoyable, one misses his Anjaam number Badi mushkil hai khoya mera dil hai, which topped the countdown charts for a long, long time. They could have done away with Tu hai ladki from Brahmachari instead. On the whole the album is a good buy.

SONU NIGAM’S BHANGRA TOP
Merica; Rs. 45
This bhangra-reggae-rap album includes all time Punjabi faves like iDil da mamla hai of Gurdaas Mann, Kaali teri gutt in addition to the traditional bhangra numbers Mitthiyan and Tera mera jod. Remixed with techno beats and rap interludesm, the album holds a special appeal because of Sonu Nigam. He’s good and that makes this old-wine-in-a-new-bottle album well-worth a hearing.

DANCE NRG - Volume One
Milestone; Rs. 100
A fairly good album to boogy the night away. Some of the numbers have a distinct disco feel to them, interspersed with rap. There are some good remix numbers like Oh Carol by Saint and Campbell with its reggae beat. Other good numbers are Don’t speak by Cynthiana and Baby don’t cry by Bosson. The peppy beat ’Thai’ mix of How deep is your love by Jeff Johnson is initially a little painful, having gotten used to Michael Learns To Rock’s soulful rendering of it, but it does succeed in growing on you.

NOTHING TO LOSE - Michael Learns To Rock
EMI-Medley; Rs. 100
Another lovely and soulful album by the popular band. It is sure to be a hit with lovebirds and those looking for mellow music. Jascha Richter’s lead vocals have the perfect husky and melodious quality to make this album a success. Especially good tracks are Romantic balcony and I’m gonna be around. There are also a couple of peppy tracks like Party and A different song.

COMPARSA - Deep Forest III
Sony; Rs 100
Want a touch of the wild and the exotic? Get hold of this album which includes the most surprising sounds and rhythms with vocals to match. The album draws on music from South Africa and South America, and is a real treat for music lovers on the lookout for something with a foreign twist. The first track, for example, Noonday sun, was sung by a 100 year-old woman, Madame Sana, supported by energetic Malgache singers. Most of the tracks include jungle sounds reproduced on instruments to very good effect.

MPEOPLE - Fresco
BMG Crescendo; Rs 125
This is a rather insipid album which tends to verge on the pretentious, especially in its songs about ‘social causes’ with lyrics like I see human rights, no shallow graves, Politicians speak the truth, no one’s got AIDS, I see a Muslim embracing a Jew, everyone’s eating everyone’s food. The attempt is all the worse because the music is no great shakes. The lead vocalist, Heather Small, has a deep and rich voice which remains unexploited and wasted in this album.

NEW RELEASES

KRANTIPATH
This film has seven songs composed by popular qawwal cum music director Ram Shankar. Lyrics have been written by Sameer.
Merica; Rs. 35

GEET KE HANS
This album has a collection of poems written by poet Dr. Ram Manohar Tripathi. There are 14 poems which reflect the profound thoughts of the poet.
Venus; Rs. 30

SAI RAM SAI SHYAM
An album of bhajans dedicated to Shirdi Saibaba, sung by Ravindra Bijur and composed by Mangesh Sawant. A great gift for Sai bhakts.
Sangeet; Rs. 30

KAVITA TUJHYASATHI
A Marathi album of poems written by Dr. Sunil Dubhashi, who has also composed them. The singers include Arun Ingle, Ravindra Bijur and Ranjana Joglekar.
S.D. Productions; Rs. 30

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

 

POP ALBUMS / INDIAN '97
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10	Nasha - Pankaj Udhas Greatest Dance Remix-2 - Various Humnasheen - Pankaj Udhas Pardes '98 - Various Ho Jayegi Balle Balle - Daler Mehndi Nigodi Kaisi Jawani Hai-Richa Sharma Mohabbat Kar Le - Shaimak Davar I Love You-Udit Narayan Super Duper Dance Remix - Various Sona Kitna Sona Hai-Various	[PolyGram] [HMV] [PolyGram] [Tips] [Magnasound] [T-Series] [Polygram] [Wings] [T-Series] [Tips]

 

MUSIC ALBUMS / ENGLISH '97
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10	Maxi Dance - Various Aquarium -Aqua Now 3 - Various Most Wanted Boys- Various Let's Talk About Love - Celine Dion The Greatest Hits - Kenny G Spice World - Spice Girls Diana - A Tribute - Various MTV Unplugged -Bryan Adams The Very Best of ....- Sting & The Police	[Plus Music] [BMG-Crescendo] [PolyGram] [Polygram] [Sony] [BMG-Crescendo] [Milestone] [Sony] [PolyGram] [PolyGram]