Watch that star. Review on Lucky Ali

When I first heard Lucky Ali, I was intrigued. The music video for O sanam was on the TV ? the lyrics were a bit clichéd. What actually caught my attention was the soulful humming that he did. What kept my attention was the way the music rises and blends with the https://lyrics.

Mil ke bichadna to dastoor ho gaya

O sanam tere pyar ki kasam

He is almost whispering, his voice like a river ? passing through?.There?s something raw about that voice, some primitive quality that makes you curious.

That was enough to make me go out and get the album. Later I found that this musician has never been trained for music. It?s worth mentioning here that I initially thought the handsome singer with the intense eyes crooning in the dunes of Egypt was a model.

His first album Sunoh was a definite eye opener. His music an intriguing mix of hindi, Arabic, western, oriental and some more. Sunoh had a terrific guitar background. I listened to it over and over again till my Mom threatened to evict me. The cherished song of this album will always be Milegi Milegi, a sweet, painstakingly slow soft song.

Akeley dhoondhtey

Milegi milegi Manzil

The next album from was even better ? the intriguingly named sifar, which I consider his best. When I heard teri yaadein aati hai, I was shocked. ?Hey, this guy is singing about me.? Have you ever felt that there is something incandescently beautiful that you have only seen vaguely in a dream, that you can only remember it in snatches. I have felt like that for as long as I can remember. And here is this guy singing about it in that voice that washes over you with deceptive ease. O.K., I?m going on and on. Can?t help it. Excerpt from the lyrics ?

Teri yaadein aati hai, kuch baatein aati hai

Kisi ki talash mein yeh guzare zamaana

Can you top that ? Apparently, Lucky Ali could. He goes on to sing ?Dekha hai aise bhi? in that raspy voice. What I love about it is the engaging flow of the music that makes you close your eyes and want sing along the simple words. Let me just tell you my favorite lyrics ?

Dekha hai aise bhi kisi ko aise hi

Inko liye jab hum chaley nazaare bhi humse miley

Other touching lyrics from the song ?Nahin rakhta dil mein? ?

Bahaaron ke ghere se laaya main dil sajaakar

Ek aisi sohbat hai meri

And the liltingly sung ?Mausam?. Great foot tapping, head-swaying music that frees you and never fails to perk you up -

Mausam bhi yaar hai gulshan gharbaar hai

Jinke saath dil lagta hai, unke saath holo

Lucky Ali?s next album was Aks. While this was quite nicely done in his usual style, it did not really make the kind of impact I expected after Sifar. Was it more repetition, less experimentation ? Funnily, I had the feeling that the effort of putting together the album was what did it in. It had a strange, washed out quality that made me wonder if this singer had reached his peak with sifar.

In the meantime, there had also been the hit singles for Kaho na pyar hai. Can you imagine ?kyon chalti hai pawan? in any other voice ? Could anybody else have done so much justice to it ?

Lucky Ali appeared in Sur, the songs of which were also sung by him. The less said about this movie, the better. He also appeared in Kaante ? I have no idea what it was all about. I just wish he would stop diluting his music and doing vague things.

What makes me really hopeful is that he is back with singles that are reminiscent of his old days ?Anjani rahon mein?, a journey of self-discovery. An excerpt ?

Anjaani raahon mein tu kya dhoondta phire

Tera yeh aashiyana, mera bhi aashiyana

?Gori teri aankhen kahen ki too rat bhar soyi nahin?.

He?s definitely bnack to experimenting in this one. I?m back to playing and replaying till the people around me have their heads in their respective hands.

Conclusion ?

He?ll be back?..