Pather dhare Srikanta Acharya Bhavna; Rs 45

Srikanta Acharya begins Pather Dhare with the popular Tagore number, Megh bolechhe jabo jabo, that is so reminiscent of Ashoketaru Bandopadhyay’s rendition of the same song. Srikanta carries in his voice a pathos that lends to his gayaki a distinct emotive chord. Srikanta’s inflection brings out the poet’s angst and emotions in the numbers, Bishwa jokhon nidramagna, Alor amal kamalkhani, Godhuli gagan-e meghe and Bhenge more gharer chabi.

Anasuya Basu

Barrio fino Daddy Yankee Universal; CD Rs 395

Raw, pulsating, and unabashedly bullish, this reigning King of Reggaeton from Puerto Rican alleys makes the entire world and his babe sway their hips, and how! Gasolina’s a permanent Latin Billboard resident and every I-Pod worth its noise features King Daddy. Raspy female crooners deliver deliciously in Dale Caliente, No me dejes solo and especially Que vas a hacer. Distinctly carnival-esque are Sabor a Melao and El Empuje while Lo que paso, paso is the ultimate soul swinger. Though repetitive later, Barrio Fino’s soaked street-smart and drips attitude. Only, printed lyrics would sure have been a triple whammy for wannabe rap-alongers.

Madhumita Das

The best of black sabbath Black Sabbath Virgin; Double cassette Rs 150

Originally released in 2000, The Best of Black Sabbath hit our stands in late 2005. The legendary heavy metal group needs no introduction just like most of the tracks featured here ? Paranoid, Iron man, N.I.B., Supernaut, Snowblind, Electric funeral, Sweet leaf, etc. Totalling 32 menacing tracks, The Best of Black Sabbath picks the very best of the Ozzy Osbourne era (1970 -1983), assimilating what could be termed as a classic metal manual; a must for old and new school fans. We also have a few tracks by Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan in the end, but these could have been easily avoided and used separately instead. The absence of Changes is surprising, but then some of the best songs are always left out from the ‘Best Of’ packages for some strange reason. Kids easily impressed with post-grunge metal could do themselves one big favour by picking up this classic metal manuscript. Yeah guys, this is just how it’s done. The roaring and the riffing all started here. Don’t believe it? Ask Korn.

Sunny C. Dua