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Tu jo ik pal begins on a serene note and gradually builds up momentum with a compelling pop sound and addictive dhol rhythms. Teri talash and O meri jaan are almost Leslie Lewis’ - except that the rock and jazz elements conjured by Raman here blends damn well with his pleasant, sing-along’ish tunes. Shades of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in Gunche, but Raman’s tune, while treading a safer, filmy path, is extremely satisfying. Mat todo mujhe is the edgiest of all tracks in the album - still a very interesting listen. Aasmaan se is straight out Shankar Mahadevan’s individual repertoire and gains brilliantly from the carnatic-styled fusion that gives it an elegant feel. Badra’s folk fusion is absolutely delightful and Raman’s vocals enhance the baarish-driven track incredibly well. Dard dilande plays out way too long, for about 9.5 minutes - Raman’s work on the backgrounds does help to a large extent in alleviating the boredom. Ramanasia is one of this year’s finest indipop debuts. The album composed and sung by Raman Mahadevan effortlessly crisscrosses musical genres and lays out a complete feast of likable tunes. Quite surprising then, is the fact that this has been released only online with no music label backing!
Keywords: Raman Mahadevan, Indipop
Detailed credits for Ramanasia, from Raman himself:
1. Teri Talaash Hai
Written By Raman Mahadevan
Musicians: Electric Guitar - Harish Solanki, Bass Guitar - Sujay Dey
2. Badra
Written and Backing Vocals By Amitabh Bhattacharya
3. Gunche
Written By Amitabh Bhattacharya
Musicians: Dholaks, Duffs and Percussions - Aslam Dafrani and Javed, Sarod - Pradeep Barot, Flutes - Naveen Kumar
4. Mat Todo Mujhe
Written By Amitabh Bhattacharya
5. Tu Jo Ik Pal Dede
Written By Amitabh Bhattacharya
6. Aasman Se Koi
Written By Amitabh Bhattacharya
Musicians: Flutes - Naveen Kumar
7. O Meri Jaan
Written By Raman Mahadevan
Musicians: Saxophone - Shyam Raj
8. Dard Dilande
Written By Shailender Singh Sodhi
9. Teri Talaash Hai - Reprise
Written By Raman Mahadevan
ALL TRACKS SUNG AND COMPOSED BY Raman Mahadevan
ALL TRACKS PROGRAMMED AND ARRANGED BY Amit Trivedi
TRACKS MIXED BY Arvind Vishwakarma AT Audio Garage, Juhu, Mumbai
TRACKS MASTERED BY Ashish Manchanda AT Flying Carpet Productions, Prabhadevi, Mumbai
Album Produced By Raman Mahadevan
Note:
a. Ramanasia is only available online via SoundBuzz.com. The album comprising of 9 tracks could be purchased using a credit card for about INR 90.
b. You could sample the songs from Raman’s Myspace page or this page in SoundClick.
c. SoundBuzz sells DRM-locked Windows Media Audio tracks - something I abhor since it doesn’t allow me to do whatever I want with something I’ve purchased. So, if you want your Ramanasia tracks to play in your car or iPod (like I do!), Google for a tool called FairUse4WM and use it to crack the goddamn DRM. You could also try downloading FairUse4WM here.
d. And yes, I did ask Raman about Shankar Mahadevan - if they’re related. Raman says they’re not but are friends and work on recordings and gigs.
e. Here is Raman’s blog, for your feedback.
