Classical singing, keyboard music
Piya Bavari
(Times Music)

THIS album gives a refreshing new spin to the word fusion. Contemporary classical ragas have been sung to the accompaniment of modern keyboard music.

The artiste behind this novel experiment is Abhijit Pohankar, who claims to be the country’s only classical keyboard singer. He is well versed in the dialectic details of Indian classical music, having trained under the legendary santoor maestro, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. But the beats accompanying his reworking of his father Ajay Pohankar’s high-brow classical vocals are western all the way. That unique concept makes Piya Bavari the first truly crossover lounge music album in India.

The album has two taraanas. Kin Bairan… has Ajay Pohankar singing bandishein on chhota khayal to the backing of rhythmic soft synthesised music. Keyboard strings transform Rang de … although no corners have been cut while explaining every sthai with following aalaaps.

The female voice is that of Arati Ankatikar.

Khamoshi
(Universal)

In his albums, Jagjit Singh comes across as an extremely serious, matter-of-fact person. Hear him live and you have to change your opinion. Hiding the anguish of personal tragedies, he not only carries the audience with him but also makes it laugh and smile. He will incorporate funny shairs into the ghazals or recount anecdotes and jokes that will have the listeners rolling in the aisles.

It is this quality that makes this live recording worthwhile. Most of the ghazals included in it are old, although the new veneer that he gives them while performing them before a live audience is well worth the price. Even the film song, Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho … acquires an entirely different personality in this album.

Hua Dil Diwana
(Music India)

Saurabh Sengupta seems to be out to prove his versatility. This album has not only been sung by him but has also been written and composed by him. Entrusting at least one of the tasks to someone else could have perhaps yielded better results, but the artiste seems to have his own calculations.

He gives a good account of himself as a composer and lyricist. But his singing tends to be rather flat. Perhaps he can get over the beginner’s block as he gets more exposure.

— ASC