Album: Chand parosa hai
Artiste: Gulzar
Available on: Times Music
Chand parosa hai” is almost a metaphorical image of a moon served in a platter. The album exemplifies the beauty of Gulzar’s poetry. when sung in the mellifluous voice of Bhupinder and Mitali Singh. Each track narrates stories of romance, mystery, lost love, pain and memories of days gone by.
These emotions have been delicately etched by poetry, soulful music and songs in an album as beautiful and pristine as the moon.
Gulzar paints a landscape of emotions with his writing. He makes you smile, cry, and fall in love with simple words.
Album: Full Circle
Artiste: Walter Trout
Available on: EMI Music
In the mid-fifties at the time of this album’s release, Walter Trout seemed to be in a reflective mood. As the title “Full Circle” implies, the guitarist rounds up some musicians/friends he has played with for a spontaneous set of performances. The liner notes explain that some of these tracks were unrehearsed first takes, and the heightened energy level throughout reflects that. Also impressive is that Trout was eye-to-eye with each artist, as opposed to projects where guests lay down solos at various times in different cities and never see each other.
The disc kicks off in fine, heated form with John Mayall sharing vocals and guitar and adding harmonica to a fiery eight-minute slow blues workout, “She takes more than she gives.” Trout restrains his propensity to pummel more notes per minute than the next guy, infusing greater passion into his playing as evidenced by the swampy blues-rock of “Workin’ overtime”, featuring Jeff Healey. Fellow fret shredders of his genre such as Bernard Ellison, Coco Montoya, and especially Joe Bonamassa add predictable firepower with their contributions and seem to spur Trout to new heights.
He shifts in a jazzier mood with Junior Watson on “Slap happy” and even go acoustic on “Firehouse mama”, where he trades hyperactive riffs with neighbour Eric Sardinas. It is arguably Trout’s most listenable, impressive and diverse album.
