Chords & Notes

Uptown Rulin' - The Best Of The Neville Brothers ( Universal, Rs. 125)

One of the most 'musical' towns in the United States is New Orleans, which has bound together a multitude of cultures like Spanish, West Indian, African, English, Cajun and Creole. What emerged out of this was a distinct culture, be it in food, architecture, language or, of course, music.

The New Orleans 'sound' has influenced many a genre such as jazz and rock and roll. Some of the names that stand out in the rock and roll history of this town include Fats Domino, Little Richard, Dr. John, Allen Toussant and most recently, the Neville Brothers.

What is interesting about this band is that it is a family endeavour with the four brothers and their children pitching in. Also, each of them has been part of other bands and has done session work for many albums of other local musicians and visiting artistes like Bob Dylan. In a way, they are the very backbone of the New Orleans 'sound' today.

This album is a compilation of some of their best works, some studio recorded and some live versions. Their music is a rich blend of R&B, jazz and soul. Listen to the silken, romantic voice of Aaron Neville, which is best savoured in the slower numbers like "With God On Our Side". (In fact Aaron has a very successful solo career). - Very Good.

Cotton Mary - Richard Robbins (Times Music, Rs. 100)

A noteworthy aspect of all Merchant-Ivory films is the music score. They have collaborated with different people such as Satyajit Ray ("Shakespearewallah"), Ali Akbar Khan ("Householder"), Shankar-Jaikishen ("Bombay Talkies") and Vilayat Khan ("Guru"). However, one near-constant presence in the team over the years has been Richard Robbins, who has scored for many of their films like "Heat and Dust", "Room With A View" and "The Bostonians". Robbins is in the news again with the music score for the latest "Cotton Mary". Additional scoring has been done by L. Subramaniam.

Most of the music creates the sense of a loss over an era gone by. The use of old Hindi film songs, "Yeh Lo Mein Haari Piya" and ``Babuji Dheere Chalna" add to the nostalgia. Most of the orchestral pieces have a very western tinge except for the prayer in raag Chandrapuria, which features a solo violin by L. Subramaniam. Meant for those who have an ear for film scores. - Good.

Saher - Jagjit Singh (T-Series, Rs. 65)

Yet another offering from the ghazal maestro. This collection too has poignant lyrics and soft, lilting music, that has been composed by Singh himself. Some of the ghazals, eight in all, have a very philosophic slant to it, while the others lament the loss of a loved one.

This collection has poets such as Iqbaal Azim, Bashir Badr and Meraj, among others, featured. The music sounds synthetic, as the more recent Jagjit Singh efforts have sounded.

"Tere Baare Mein Jab", "Mujhe Hosh Nahin", "Yaad Nehin Kya Kya Dekha Hain" ... these ghazals somehow sound similar to some of his earlier works. In fact one could call it repetitive to an extent. Singh seems to have lost the magic that kept listeners spellbound in records like "Someone Somewhere" or "Ecstasy". Coming from him, one expects something more. But die-hard fans will perhaps enjoy the meaning-laden numbers from this baritone- voiced singer. - Good.

Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge - music arranged by Suresh Lalwani (Tips - Rs. 55)

An overdose of Alka Yagnik (her presence is there in all the eight songs!), predictable beats and tunes, even more predictable lyrics - that is what David Dhawan's latest "Dulhan Hum Le Jayenga" is all about. Strange that there is no credit for the music director, while all that the cover mentions is that the music is arranged by Suresh Lalwani!

"Mujse Shadi Karogi" with a host of singers (Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu, Shankar Mahadevan, Suresh Wadkar and a chorus!) is the typical dance number with rhythmic dholak beats.

"Pyar Dilon Ka Mela" (Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu) that has already hit the charts, is meant to fill the 'romantic number' slot, while boogie woogie-meets-bhangra number "Dheera Dheera" (Sorry, but Alka Yagnik again and Sonu Nigam) sounds more like "Eena meena deeka". "Tere Pallu Sarka" fits the 'desh ki darti' bill (earthy and rumbustious).

The voice of Sunita Rao is wasted in the title track. She just has to rap a wee bit here and there. Well, one of the better David Dhawan sounds tracks but that is not saying much! - Fair.

SAVITHA PADMANABHAN

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