Artist: Lucky Ali
Album: Raasta Man
Label: Lucky Ali Entertainment
Mixed and Mastered by:
Release Date: 2011
There’s one question I’ve been wondering a lot about lately – What the hell happened to Indi Pop? There was a short period of time, between 1996 and 2003, when the genre of music reigned supreme. And to the more nostalgic music lovers – what a genre it was. Straight out poppers like Alisha Chenoy and Anaida gained recognition here, heroes of the British Techno underground like Bally Sagoo and Talvin Singh flourished here, musical directors like A R Rehman and Sandeep Chowtha ended up creating some of their most memorable work here, playback and classical singers like KK, Hariharan, Shaan, Sonu Nigam, Shubha Mudgal, Sunidhi Chauhan all flocked here to deliver some of their finest performances… It was a genre so diverse in its musical styling that it simultaneously embraced the all-out Bhangra of Daler Mehndi, the jazz pop of Sunita Rao, the techno remixes of Instant Karma and everything in between. And then, for reasons that are too elaborate to get into here, it died.
So it was with cautious enthusiasm and even a slight trepidation that I started listening to Lucky Ali’s latest offering. I always liked his songs, but I had always thought that he was a product of that time, that context of Indi pop. I was afraid that with this album, he’d try to relive that time – an old man trying to harken back to his glory days, while India had moved on to Sheila Ki Jawaani and Chikni Chameli. I was right. It seems, however, my fear was completely unfounded.
In the universe of Indi pop Lucky Ali was (and is), well … Country Music – India’s answer to Johnny Cash and Trace Adkins. A couple of weeks ago, while reviewing Uddipan Sarmah’s Zindagi, I talked about the whole road of life theme that was popular – Lucky Ali was the master of that theme. And the thing I love about the new album is that he hasn’t changed a bit. This album is all about Lucky Ali being himself, just the way I remember him all the way back from 2001.
The album, right from the Beatles throwback opener Yeh Zindagi to the more modern Bollywood (read Imran Khan in a convertible contemplating life) styled closer Khuda Hafiz, is just 11 songs of pure heart. There is not one bad song on here – sure there are some dodgy parts, but nothing that doesn’t set itself back on track before you can reach for that skip button. The predominant form of song here, predictably, is the ballad. But firstly, that’s not a bad thing – a Lucky Ali ballad is more than a satisfying listen with the shimmering acoustic guitar, the hum of the bass, the rim clicks that lull you into relaxation and his steely voice that soars above it all. Secondly, anytime you start thinking… Hmmm, ballads… he throws in a surprise – the aforementioned Yeh Zindagi, the Blues shout-out Tauba Tauba, the Rock ‘N Roll gem Main Kya Karoon, even the Britrock (ala Coldplay and Oasis) influenced With You, all make you sit up and take notice.
I would like to take a moment here and congratulate whoever came up with the song sequence – it’s perfect. The album never slides into predictability alternating soothing and surprising with ease. And the band is pitch perfect as well – there is no overplaying, no hogging the limelight – everyone knows this a Lucky Ali album and they know their place in the mix: something indicative of a very mature set of musicians. Reading what I’ve written so far I find I may be giving the impression this is a rare kind of album. For me it is. The fact of the matter is that I’m probably not objective enough to give an unbiased review of the album and its faults. Indi-pop was the first genre of music that I was truly in love with and this set of 11 songs harkens me back to those days. This album then is like a photograph of the first girl you ever loved. Staring at it, you wouldn’t spend your time wondering if the color contrast on the photo could be better, would you?
