Oct 03, 2004 06:21 PM
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(Updated Oct 03, 2004 06:21 PM)
How often do we get to listen to decent private music albums? How often can we think of songs that we could sing in public? Songs that are not vulgar? Songs that don’t make you feel sick…hardly nowadays in the age of “Kaanta Laga” and other item numbers!
Shantanu Mukherjee, popularly known as Shaan is one of the few pop singers who have the remarkable ability of keeping the listeners of pop music relatively sane. Personally, I feel mad like hell when I hear item numbers like those mentioned above.
“Aksar” is the latest album by Shaan after the roaring success of “Tanha Dil”. I would not rate this album as high as I would have rated “Tanha Dil”, but still many songs in this album are catchy and hummable, and most are quite romantic!
To be frank, I wasn’t particularly interested in buying this album. Few months ago, Shaan was here in Nagpur to promote a society for abolition of music piracy. It was at his concert that I bought this album and found it really worth listening.
I am deeply indebted to Shaan; it’s thanks to him that I received quite a lot of appreciation at my third public singing performance. People liked the way I sang the title track of “Aksar”. (Yes… I am a singer like Juggernaut (Laxman or Amol Phansalkar), but quite an amateur one. When it comes to music, you could say that juggers is almost my guru.)
Here goes the list:
- Aksar kyon yun lage ki tum koi aur ho…
(My heart always bears a grudge: I got nothing from loving you. But every time I peep inside myself, I see nothing but you, which is worth ignoring all the grudges in the world.)
The title track. Very soft and mild. Lyrics have a nice beautiful touch of mild pain and loneliness. (Particularly effective and useful song for proposals!) The most striking feature are the strings and the piano.
- Tumne kiya mujhpe kaisa jadoo…
(What a spell have you cast on me! Just ask for it and I’ll bring down the stars<i/>)
Not so good, not so bad; this one is quite monotonous. It plainly expresses the dilemmas of a cupid-struck person. The lyrics are perfect, but the dull music spoils their beauty.
- Kya karoon ki mujhe naa kehna nahi aata…
(Generally I do understand what’s wrong and what’s right,
I may seem normal, but no one understands my plight!
My only weakness makes me knit my brow:
Why the hell can I not say “NO”?)
One of the best among the lot. Humorous lyrics and foot-tapping music. As the words suggest, this one portrays someone who is bullied by everyone. Even the video is funny!
- Tum jo mile…
(My heart was so despondent, until I met you.
I was so lonely, until I met you.
I met you, I lost all sorrow.
I met you, I’ll never fear tomorrow)
A very refreshing song. Excellent music and tune. All about how love can ease someone’s tensions.
- Haan kabhi tum mere hua karte the…
(I remember the time when you were mine,
I remember the days, the moments divine.
God knows where everything went wrong,
If only you come back, I’ll never repeat the song.)
An ideal song for someone who is typically “bewafa”(no pun intended!). The singer here regrets inflicting sorrow on a friend. Nice slow moving tune and good music.
- Har taraf…
(Cannot translate this one…not too good at Arabic.)
This one’s OK, but relatively the worst. It is a Hindi-Arabic song like “Kaho na kaho” from “Murder”. It really doesn’t have a theme, just guitars and drums.
- One love…
(Almost all of it is already in English.)
Hindi version of “One Love” by the BLUE pop group. Nicely translated to fit the music and the meaning. (It is actually from Sanjay Manjrekar’s latest film: Rakht)
- Chaand Akela Hai…
(The moon is alone, like me…even after having the company of innumerable stars and clouds.)
Undeniably the best song. The lyrics are simply beautiful and the music is very melodious. Every time I listen to it, I feel like I am walking on the moon! (Dear jai_coer and juggernaut, …I am NOT on drugs.)
Returning to the comment I made in the beginning…More than half the pop music today consists of vulgar music videos and remixes. Many tunes are straightly lifted from old songs. There’s hardly any originality left in Hindi music.
It is my humble appeal to music connoisseurs to strongly discourage such factors which are killing Indian music.
Love, Jai.
