Well, this review is going to be straight to the point. I am right now listening to the music album Touch of Romance by our very own Mouthshut member Farid.

First and foremost, please treat this opinion as strictly professional. I will be listing some plus points and some minus points too, keeping my friendship with Farid miles away from the review. I am sure Farid would also love that, as I am going to judge him on a highly professional level.

The Album- an outline
The album is a remix - with a difference! It has a total of 11 numbers. To name some, Jab Koi baat bigad jaaye, Aake teri baahon mein, Tujhse Naraaz nahi zindagi and Ankhiyon ke jharonke se. Sung by Farid, with the female parts being sung by Ritika, Radhika and Suhasini. The music has been arranged by Bhavesh Bhatt. Recorded at KV studio, Khar by recordist Avdhoot Gupta, the songs have been selected by Raju Banagli. So what is so different about this remix album? Well, this album is a blend of the original English versions and their Hindi counterparts, or the translation of Hindi verse to English.

For example, Jab koi baat is blended with Five hundred miles, or Aake teri baaho mein is blended with Life in your arms.

The Minus Points

First of all, what strikes you is the complete lack of acoustic instruments, except for a tabla and a sarangi in Tadap tadap ke. No....nothing wrong in it, as one aspect of music making is that six-letter word called budget. But, honestly, the songs seem very monotonous, largely due to the same style of instrumentation. It mainly has the bass kicks, with bass guitar prominantly audible, the guitars and the synthesized sounds sprinkled sparingly.

Second point is the mixing. I felt that too much reverb was given to the singer’s voice. Of course, each to his own taste, but then, at least the reverb should have been lesser in the beginning of Tujhse Naraaz, as it makes it highly difficult to understand what the female voice is saying(the adlib). All in all, the mixing could have been much much better.

Thirdly, in the process of doing something wildly different, the seconds to the main singing have gone overboard. To the extent of seeming out of tune. Also one more thing I noticed was that the balance between the highs and lows leaves much to be desired. The lows overtake the highs. The last point is regarding you personally, Farid. At some places you seem a bit flat as regards to the note of the song.

P.S.- Sorry if I sound blunt, Farid, but I feel you should get the harsh picture. That is the way you will get exposed to the short-comings and will develop.(And believe me, you have the spark.)

The Plus Points

First and foremost....it’s an attempt to be different. And it’s highly laudable.

Secondly, Farid has succeeded in creating what the title suggests- Touch of Romance.

Thirdly, the way Farid has erased any touch of the original singers is highly commendable. What is seen generally is that most of the times, the singers in the remixes sing a xerox copy of the original singer. Our Farid, however, has succeeded in leaving his mark on the songs. Believe me guys, it’s really difficult to achieve this....the original singers weigh so heavily on your subconscious.

Then, of course, there are flashes of brilliance in the arrangement in songs like Tadap tadap ke. Yes Farid, as for your singing, you have excelled in this one.

In Conclusion

Dear Farid, I do hope that you take my review in the right spirit, and knowing you, I am sure you will.

Long Live Music

Best time to play this is when:

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