Artist – Baiju Dharmajan
Album – The Crossover
Released – 2012
Mixed by – Baiju Dharmajan
Mastered by – Ty Degroff of The Final Sound, U.S.A.
Label – Cochyn Records
Baiju Dharmajan – the very name of the legend relates on to the iconic Carnatic Rock band Motherjane. His solos in Chasing the Sun, Mindstreet, Fields of Sound; to name a few, rings in the head of anyone who thinks about Motherjane. It was a sad day in 2010, when Baiju officially announced his departure from Motherjane, to give time to his former band Wrenz United. But that didn’t last long. Baiju started working on his solo project and started working on his solo album – The Crossover.
The Crossover is a pretty interesting album to start off with. People accustomed to Baiju’s sound in Motherjane, will be surprised after listening to this record. There is a total change in sound, hence the title – The Crossover fits perfectly. The album kicks off with Alchemy, a calm and serene song with Carnatic influences at times; moves on to a totally different faced paced number – Demented; and then on to a pretty interesting Techno-Rock influenced Cyber Reptile. The versatility shown is mind blowing. And though, some people who I had talked to about the album said that Baiju didn’t play to his full potential, I would still stick to the versatility and adapting to different types of styles and rate that of higher importance. You have solos that sound like someone is speaking to you in Alchemy and Halo; a classic example of Joe Satriani/Steve Vai-esque attempt in Demented; and to top it all probably one of the best solo guitar instrumental I’ve heard in recent times – Philia.
Along with the guitaring part, two things that stand out is the level of detailing given to the backing tracks. The drums, the bass and the key (wherever used) has been given the exact exposure needed and just enough volume on the mix to perfectly blend in with the music. Though, I felt the arpeggios in Alchemy could have been a little higher, they had a nice feel to it on its own. But apart from this minor factor, Baiju has made sure there isn’t much to complain about.
Coming to his guitar solos now; even though some people may think this work is not at par with his Motherjane era work, one thing still stands out in the album – his effortless mix of Indian and Western scales. Credited with pioneering the trend in Indian Rock and influencing countless guitarists and bands alike, his signature tube amp tone and blended scales are evident even in this album. The Crossover marks his journey into music as a solo guitarist. Something rare in the Indian scene, but not surprisingly he has been well accepted by the crowd; Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate is making waves in the country at this moment. On that note, many fans, like me, are eagerly waiting for Baiju’s next album.
Final verdict – Keep Calm and listen to the God of Small Strings 😉
My picks from the album –
- Philia
- Alchemy
- Demented
Baiju Dharmajan – Philia –
