Feb 17, 2006 04:18 PM
2797 Views
(Updated Feb 17, 2006 04:18 PM)
It is with much interest that I read and reread all the reviews on Mouthshut for this album. I am sure that there are many others who share my burning curiosity to know who these two artistes are. In this day of hype and hoopla, this duo breaks all the rules by preferring to be unknown and undefined. No press coverage. No interviews, No music video. No publicity. To take matters to an extreme point, they don’t even feature on the cover of their album! One has to look inside the inlay card to find out what they look like.
Even inside the cover, the mystery continues. There is nothing about the artistes except information on who has done what on the album. There is a web address, but that too is a false trail leading to nowhere. It lands you on a skimpy site that has minimal information (hardly two or three paragraphs) about the two artistes. It contains Mp3 clips of the songs, but since I already had the cassette, these were of no use to me. The only good thing about the website that you can find the lyrics for all the songs. This is a great value-add since the words of the songs are truly beautiful. I would advise that you print all the lyrics pages and keep them with you while you are listening to the songs.
While the artistes are shadowy and unreal, there’s nothing unsubstantial about their music. Though I have read all the reviews here, I find that nobody has taken the trouble to write about each song individually. Most of them have just heard the first two or three songs on the first side, gone gaga over the album and reviewed it on the basis of these few songs. That does not do justice to an album of this stature. So let me do the honours.
Side A
Barson Huey Tumse Miley
This is the title track and the one that everyone is talking about. In fact, it is positively hogging the limelight. With good reason too. It is definitely the most outstanding track in the entire album. I have never heard anything like it before. It sounds really fresh and thus, one does not get tired of listening to it. The words of this song are heart-wrenching, if any of you have had a similar romantic incident in your past, the lyrics will make you cry.
Mujhe Tumse Kuch Kehna Hai
If you like soft rock, you will freak out on this one: beautiful melody, lovely guitar music and a steady driving beat to hold the song in place. This sounds like one of those rock classics from the seventies when acoustic sounds ruled. The tune is the kind that gets stuck on your lips and you will be humming it for hours after you’ve stopped listening to the song.
Palkon Pe Tha
This is the critics’ choice – the tour de force that sets oversimplified pop apart from mature music. After hearing this song, I found it hard to believe that Sanjo and Chandrani were first timers, debuting with this album. This is the kind of song that one hears from heavyweight songwriters and composers. If I were to give you one reason for buying the album, this song is it. However, let me add that it is not my favourite because it leaves me feeling depressed. My favourite continues to be Barson Huey.
Aanchal
A rare love song from this duo. They seem to shy away from talking of love. Yes, there are several songs that talk about the pain and agony of love and lost love, but they aren’t love songs in the true sense of the word. This one is. But it isn’t the mushy type. The words lend a sense of sophistication and poeticism to the entire composition.
Shaayad Kabhi
Like Barson Huey, this song is a perfect example of the different kind of sound that Sanjo and Chandrani deliver so effortlessly. Composed in a swinging blues vein, the song has strong mood-raising abilities with its bouncing rhythms and energetic guitar notes.
Side B
Zindagi
My second favourite after Barson Huey, Zindagi is an upbeat song that brings out the sheer dexterity of Sanjo on the guitar. If the artistes ever decide to make a music video based on this song, it will really be worth watching. Also, in my opinion the vocals and the harmonies between Sanjo and Chandrani are best on this song. Great beat, too.
Sapno Ka Ek Shahar
This is a song that people will someday point to as an example of the artistic strength of Sanjo and Chandrani – another critics’ choice kind of song. Very mature and very poetic. The tune is one of those haunting ones that you can’t get out of your system. The lyrics are so beautiful that you can read them aloud, like poetry. The song also has very good vocals.
Khushiyon Se Hai Duniya
The album is full of surprises like this one. You can get up and dance to this one, and in fact, you feel like doing it. The beat is very groovy. And some very complicated guitar pieces by Sanjo. (I keep talking about the guitar because as a professional stage guitarist, I can really appreciate what Sanjo has played)
Woh Shaamey
Another artistic creation that demonstrates a level of maturity that one would never expect from new artistes. And once more, I must convey my appreciation for the way Sanjo has played the guitar on this number.
Hum Logon Ka Saath
Sadly, the last song on the album disappoints. The song features a blend of rock and pop music but somehow fails to come off. The beat is catchy but that is not good enough for giving the song a chance. The only redeeming feature is the backing vocals provided by Chandrani who hits unbelievably high notes in some parts of the song.
Cover Design
The design is cool and very classy, featuring excellent photography. Overall the packaging looks sleek and desirable and at par with the foreign cassettes that you buy.
Sound Quality
Satisfactory. Unfortunately for hi-fi music-lovers, the company has not come out with an audio CD.
Price
INR 40
Recommendation
Buy it. Already this is very difficult to get, and I think it will not be a great commercial success and will therefore become out of circulation after some time, so it is best to get a copy now.
