Soul 8.5/10
A saxophone player’s delight, as it is a trip that is certainly going to pump enough adrenaline into your bloodstream. I have been fascinated by this wind instrument ever since Kadri Gopalnath played it in DUET by AR Rahman, but who else but Gautam David can do wonders like this. I consider him one of the two best along with Abhay Sharma obviously. This is SOUL-stirring music that you cannot just fail to occupy your brain with. The Keys played by Derek are on point, and along with the bass guitars by Vishal Varier and drums, by Jason Sharat, we have something very complete. Look out for the electric guitar solo by Adesh Vinod in the middle and portions where there are interventions. Just let loose and dance, drive, groove whatever. Your SOUL needs this! At 8 minutes this is long and pure like Test-match Cricket. The track is written, composed and produced by Derek Mathias, with Nirmit Shah mixing, and co-producing. Drona Acharya masters the track and Anand Murali plays the Keyboards, watch-out out for his solo effort around the 5.45-minute mark which reminds me of Maestro Ilaiyaraja’s works.
Maya 7.5/10
This is Indian electronica at its best, as Alboe introduces us to something mesmerizing, trance in full mode and you will fall subservient to the commanding powers of the Sitar sounds, and EDM influences here. The “Oh Maya” humming will be meditative to hear, I guarantee. Kenzani and Tech Panda are two more artists who have worked on and helped release this gem. Pinkoblue has done the artwork with Sathyadev Pius working on the motion.
Lunar month 7/10
The Bodhisattwa Trio are legendary for their rock music, with Bodhisattwa Ghosh being the frontman and lead guitarist, Premjit Dutta on drums and Shonai on Piano. I have featured Bodhisattwa many times for his work in Bangla music but the first time the trio is getting featured. Just like how the northern part of the Moon was named “The Sea of Tranquility”, this track called “Lunar month” feels like bathing in the sea of tranquillity with intermittent moments of high-octane energy and relative calmness as well thanks to the soothing Keys. There are segments where I was also reminded of Hans Zimmer’s “Dream is collapsing” from the ‘Inception’ OST.
Sax on Drumz 8/10
God was watching and gave me a sign when I committed a grave error. I just mentioned that Abhay Sharma and Gautam David were the best saxophone players in India, but how can I ever forget ID Rao. This multi-instrumentalist is seasoned and incredibly potent and when his track found its way to my ears, I believe the Universe sent me a sign. This brilliant number is composed and arranged by Mann Bipin who plays the drums. ID Rao smashes away with the flute solo and saxophone solo and it takes an immense effort by Aslam Khan on mixing and Aftab Khan on mastering with assistance from Vatsal Chevli. You will just nod your head in approval as the flute and sax play cat and mouse and dominate proceedings, with the drums providing the tempo and energy to sustain this long track. It is recorded by Benvin Fernandes with assistance from Elvis Fernandes.
Odyssey 8/10
It's funky, groovy, out-of-the-world hip in every way possible. Of the 5 tracks we have seen for May that make the cut for Best Instrumental pieces, this one here is the most stylish, probably one of most in 2022 yet. It has some cool electric guitar notes with basslines and electronica additions just amplifying the level of likability for this track. There are similarities with Santhosh Narayanan’s “Bujji song”, thanks to some amazing guitars, but there is also a similarity with “International Suruli” from the ‘Jagame Thandhiram’ OST composed by Santhosh. The similarity begins and ends with the inspiring funkiness and there is a Michael Jackson-like grunt in both. Shashank Alamuru is the producer and he gives the track direction it deserves. Just near the 3rd minute, we have a drop in tempo as things pacify and Baidurjya tries to ease up a bit giving us milder shades of the track. The final outro is once again a fitting end on keyboards, and guitars and the piece deserve to be played all around the nation on weekend nights in pubs/discotheques. Neha Sharma does all the excellent artwork.
Author
I write album and song reviews of Tamil music every month for Behindwoods. You can also call me a sports nut, especially football, and I used to write articles on sportskeeda.com. I am a die-hard Argentina football fan and have travelled to South Africa and Russia to witness the FIFA world cup games. It is not just music, I love movies as well and you will find me quoting dialogues and moments from a lot of movies, as I believe every movie teaches me something new about life itself.