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Here’s another Indian origin rap/bhangra band from Birmingham. Producer, guitarist and DJ, Swami, is the band’s lead performer, who has mastered and mixed the songs. This album is not something you can listen to by just sitting –

the rhythmic beats will make you get up and dance. It is perfect to be played at the desi pubs (pubs that play Hindi/Punjabi music), weddings and family get-togethers, where the groove is all that matters, the lyrical value and music is only secondary.

The album has a dozen of ‘happy-shappy’ Punjabi numbers with a generous dose of hip-hop, pop, electronic and funk music of the ’80s. The voice of Romesh Chohan is apt for the Punjabi theme. There are a lot of guest appearances in the album, including Pras of The Fugees, Boostylz, Lady Ru, French rappers A Suivre, South African singers Jozi, MC Spee from the band Dreadzone and Yam Boy.

“Hey Hey” and “Electro Jugni” (feat Boostylz and Dede) are easily the best tracks of the album. They offer some freshness in terms of beats. The acoustic version of “Can’t Let Go” makes for a more interesting song with its slowness than the original version (feat Srrol Reid and Yam Boy). Other songs like “Intoxicated”, “Ching”, “Pushin”, “Shakedown”, “Break”, “Give it what you got” and “In your eyes” are just run of the mill, where you cannot even make out when one ends and the other begins.

The lyrics are by D.C. Sharma. The first track, ‘He Daya Nidhaan’, is based on raga Ahir Bhairav, a morning raga best suited to devotional bandish. Like countless other songs, both in Carnatic and Hindustani music, on the god of auspicious beginnings, ‘Gaaiye Ganapati Jagavandana’ is set to raga Hamsadhvani. ‘Nritya Karata Bhaala Chandra’ is a bit too fast on rhythm, and ‘Lambodar Gajanana’ a little too flat for a classical composition. The last track, ‘Jai Ganesh’ (Aarti), though, makes up for it all. Set in a tune totally different from the traditional aarti that all of us are used to hearing, it is a fitting wrap-up of a contemporary, understated album. But wait, there is a catch. Nothing justifies the steep price of Rs.195 for an audio CD of just five tracks.

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