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Chords and notes
Musicology: Prince
Sony Music, Rs. 99
PRINCE'S NEW offering must come with a PG warning: "Suitable for all adults". After all these years, Prince has gone from a defiant teenager to an old-fashioned adult who acts his age. Musicology is a grown-up's collection of music, touching upon monogamy, family values, and anti-war messages. Though not a masterpiece or even consistent with his chart-topping Lovesexy of 1988, it is a sign of Prince having changed with the times.
Interestingly, most of Musicology steers clear of the sexual funk Prince has dabbled in all through his career. The album starts off well. The title track is fabulous and stays with you after just one listen. It asks pointedly: "Don't you miss the feeling music gave you back in the day?" before closing with a montage of Prince's own classics. The rich white girl who can't dance paying for the "funk" in "Illusion, Coma, Pimp and Circumstance" makes you nod and grin appraisingly at the sheer cheek of the lyrics. Prince's lite-jazz pop flavour makes a definite comeback in the slow-jamming "What do you want me 2 do?" But the ballad "Call my name" is sap and pop through and through. The album takes a stand against our society's current paranoia in a way only Prince could. ("They can bug my phone, people round my home, they'll only see you and me making love inside.")
"On the couch" and a few other tracks manage to bring back the sexual innuendos that Prince is known for. Although there is a conscious effort to go wild with themes, Prince has returned to the old formula. But this time, without the superstar quality.
He had been out there finding himself and had disappeared off the music scene for quite a while. If you date his decline to the years following 1991's Diamonds And Pearls, he's been surprisingly mediocre as long as he was unquestionably popular. So Musicology is his comeback gone slightly wrong, neither classy enough to inspire, nor weak enough to be unworthy of your attention.
Dhaani: Strings
Sony Music, Rs. 55
WHEN STRINGS released their second album way back in 1992, the one song that struck mainstream fans was "Sar kiyay yeh pahaar". The rest of the tracks were forgotten. However, it was in those tracks that Strings had established themselves as the powerful, lyrical, and most importantly urban-poetic musicians. After a decade, the brilliant Duur was released and now they offer us Dhaani.
The album is a mixture of old and new songs. The familiar tunes of the World Cup special "Hai Koi Hum Jaisa" and the Channel [V] number "Pal" with Sagarika take us back a couple of years. But the entire album has the texture and style that is unique to Strings. The signature guitaring in a way creates a sense of continuity from Duur, keeping the pace and rawness intact.
"Bolo bolo" with Hariharan disappoints with the predictability of its tune — you have a feeling of having heard it a million times before. This pleasing thumri just has a few lines repeated through the whole song, but since it is satisfyingly melodious, you tend to forgive. "Chaaye chaaye" and "Sohniyae" are enormously spirited and the sheer energy of the numbers spell urban chaos. But one wonders why they are given step-motherly treatment (sitting in Side B) by its creators. The title track has hit the airwaves a long time ago with a video that cradles urbanity to near perfection.
The album offers a heavy dose of fusion with flute being the most dominant instrument. The notes have a classical flourish to them, going on the established trend of Pakistani pop and rock music. Powerful lyrics by Anwar Maqsood and Zehra Nigah played to beautiful compositions of Bilal Maqsood and sung by Faisal Kapadia, in his voice filled with longing. Strings' Dhaani brings enjoyable improvisations. And this time, it is quite unlikely that their work will be overlooked.
ROHINI MOHAN
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