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MUSIC BOX: Understanding Pink
What prompted me to get Pink’s latest album Missundaztod is the proclamation by the lady that she is more talented than Madonna.
Madonna might not be the ultimate nightingale but she has proved herself to be, beyond doubt, the undisputed pop icon and anyone making such claims must be checked. Pink is the same girl who shot to fame with Lady Marmalade. Here she has come up with an album which is more rock and blues than pop. The album opens with the title track and frankly, it’s not good. It has staccato beats and is about how everyone misunderstands who she is and what she is about.
Get the party started, comes next. A funky number with well-gelled acoustic and electric guitars. This composition is different from the whole mood of the album, with a perfect toe-tapping beat, and a feeling of getting out and having a blast of a time.
Family Portrait is sad and biographical. It is about her parents’ divorce. Next is Don’t Let Me Get and the best thing about it is that Pink has not used synthesized music. Groovy guitars and upbeat percussion marks Just Like A Pill, but the lyrics are hackneyed and destroys a good composition. The theme is about getting out of painful relationships. There is a rap number Respect next in line and the less said about it is better. 18 Wheeler is a nice amalgamation of rock and blues, whereas Numb sounds repetitive of some earlier tunes.
The highlight of the album is definitely the duet with Steven Tyler called Misery. This is a traditional blue song about loneliness and break-up. Pink’s voice has come out stronger here and matches the prowess of the veteran musician.
On the whole, the album is a very confident attempt on Pink’s part. As far as her claim to better Madonna, she has a long way to go before she can even come near her.—Xooni
Indus music
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Rarely do we witness folk music mixed with pop. One such event took place in the Hyderabad Gymkhana, recently. Strings performed side by side with Sindhi folk singers. An estimated crowd of 2,500 people sat glued to their seats listening to the local rhythms which were just as scintillating as the western sounds. Strings was obviously hot with the crowd as they sang their latest numbers from their album and some older hits. The highlight of the show, however, was the performance of some Sindhi singers and musicians, who proved that local music has no boundaries and it can be enjoyed by all even if we don’t understand the language.The efforts of the organizers should be appreciated as they travelled far and wide to locate the local singers and musicians who were reluctant to perform initially, as most of them have left their profession due to lack of public interest. A lot of persuasion and encouragement culminated in the singers performing live with zest and excitement.
Security was tight, though one could see a few rowdy young people making a nuisance of themselves at the back, not understanding the music or poetry. But then generally such elements have become a part of our society. After every performance a brief introduction of the music and the singer was made so as to educate the audience about the instrument that was to be played. The evening ended with Bilal singing a few Sindhi songs for the audience to pay tribute to the neglected folk singers of our country.—Moazzam Abbasi
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