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Bat out of hell 3 — the monster is loose Meatloaf Universal; Rs 150
I’m a runaway train on a broken track…a ticker on a bomb that you can’t turn back somewhat sums up the state of affairs on the third and perhaps final instalment of Meatloaf’s high-soaring Bat series. The track is broken all right and the fact that Meatloaf still manages to make an impression with its out-of-time sound refreshes our memory yet again; when Loaf hit it big in the 90s with Bat out of hell 2. It was a torrid time for rockers but we had I would do anything for love turning into a worldwide love anthem of sorts. Times aren’t really better but it seems that Meatloaf rather maintain the balls of steel image than get into something sassy and jive with the times. The result? Well, we may have the weakest Bat effort in Bat 3, but there are some surprises that hark back to the classic years. Smile, Loaf fans…smile! There is a lot of operatic drama as in the previous albums but the two standout tracks are undoubtedly Blind as a bat and Bad for good which also has Queen’s Brian May performing as guest guitarist. One might reckon that Meatloaf tries way to hard to make it sound like a Bat album, thereby marring the otherwise fine effort. It is delightful to hear tracks like Alive, If God could talk and to an extent The monster is loose retain the classic Meatloaf sound in the current times. But trash like In the land of the pigs (the butcher is king) and Cry to heaven make the album unnecessarily long, and at times boring. But in the end, we still know who Meatloaf is talking to. The fans won’t be disappointed…as for the rest — Bat 2 remains a better place to start.
Sunny C. Dua
Sandhya elo Sharmistha Chatterjee Prime Music; Rs 42
This album by Sharmistha Chatterjee showcases eight Adhunik songs by different lyricists and music composers. The numbers mostly convey the biraha motif. The tunes, however, lack variety. But Sharmistha has a clear voice and a confident rendition. Surjo othar aage (written and music composed by Dilip Das), based on the theme of love for music, is worth mentioning.
Treasure: Smaraniyo Surokar Salil Choudhury Various Sagarika; Rs 40
The album stirs the nostalgia for the golden age of Bengali Adhunik songs, with some of the choicest numbers composed by the legendary lyricist-music composer Salil Choudhury. Srikanta Acharya, Sadhana Sargam, Sampa Kundu and Shreya Ghoshal here render some of the spellbinding numbers of the 60s, once sung by stalwarts like Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar. Srikanta’s Moner janala dhare brims over with melancholy. Sampa’s Baje go beena, Shreya’s Ni sa ga ma pa, Sadhana’s Ja re, ure ja re enchant with their unique rhythm and tune which were Salil Choudhury’s trademark.
Se je moner manush Various Cozmik Harmony, Rs 40
Baul philosophy had a strong bearing on Tagore’s songs. He assimilated images and tunes from Baulgeeti especially in songs composed during the Swadeshi era. This album is a study of the affinity of bhaba between Rabindrasangeet and Baulgeeti. Bratati Bandopadhyay, in her crystal clear voice reads out the script written by Shovan Som. Tapan Roy ably renders the numbers of Fikir Chand, Lalan Fakir and Siraj Sain among which Lalan’s Ek phoole chaar rang dhorechhe is particularly captivating. Lily Islam, a Bangladeshi singer, renders Tagore songs like Aami Kan pete roi and Phire phire daak dekhi re, with an efficient enough rendition.
Traffic jam Anantaa Prime Music; Rs 42
The numbers sung by Anantaa here have been composed by Rupankar. As expected, the numbers are pulsate to the fast technocratised urban life with its dreams, dejections and ecstasies. This life vibrates in the smart diction in songs like Aamar e mobiley, Chokhe chokhe jhar (side A) and Swapnera dishahara, Dhusar bypass (side B). Anantaa’s sharp voice matches quite well with the rhythm of the songs.
Arnab Bhattacharya
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