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MUSICBOX: Missing zing
Even before listening to this album, a number of people had convinced this writer that Mizmaar’s Kash was a below par effort. However, one should not always pay heed to all the ‘he said, she said.’ One has to admit that Mizmaar and their debut offering aren’t that bad after all. These guys definitely deserve an ‘A’ for effort.
Daniyal, Kashan and Russell, the trio who make up the latest band to attempt an attack on Pakistan’s music charts, have conjured up a rather tame effort for their first outing. With 12 tracks that equal to an hour’s worth of music, the album makes for a nice background score, but there’s nothing ground-breaking here. Unfortunately, most of the songwriting is rather run-of-the-mill.
From the title track, Kash, to the rather hip attempt called Sadenal, the tunes and the lyrics remind you of other albums from the likes of Junoon and the former blue eyed boy of the pop scene, Junaid Jamshed. Nevertheless, the best cut of the album is probably their fourth track, the dreamy Laut ke aa. The lovelorn Teri ankhein and the inspirational Jaag, also fare quite well. An encouraging note in the album on the whole is the bass work of Russell Owen. Though the lead guitar is also commendable, one feels more effort is required in this department.
But other than that, it’s largely disappointing. Maybe the band needs to put in a little more heart into their work, as they suggest in Aik dil. Their work was reminiscent of the initial, pioneering efforts of the Vital Signs, more than a decade back. Now that the Pakistani pop-rock movement is in full bloom, one wishes bands would move on to explore uncharted territory.
A point that applies universally to all Pakistani albums is why is the inlay work in English? When the songs are in Urdu, why, then, are all the details of the album in English? Having to read and understand the names of the songs in Roman Urdu is not only difficult to the eye, but more often than not, ridiculous. An open appeal to all bands: please include Urdu in your liner notes.—Atif Khan
Nobody’s perfect
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Britney Spears is constantly compared to Madonna, but it’s actually Kylie Minogue who’s the heir apparent to the material girl’s throne. After the runaway success of her last album Fever, the diva has ruled dance floors around the world. With her knack for reinvention and gift for delivering killer hooks Minogue, today, is more than just a singer: she’s a corporate entity.With the release of her ninth studio album entitled Body Language, Kylie Minogue casts herself this time around as Brigitte Bardot — sexy cooing and suggestively breathing vocals and all. Itt’s a far cry from the R&B record she was rumoured to be working on, and the slight hints of R&B groove, especially in the melt-in-your-mouth number Chocolate, are unlikely to worry Beyonce or Ashanti. Instead, by and large, Minogue experiments unsuccessfully with electronica and foolishly slows down her decadent dance beat. Even if you are a true Minogue fan – one who did the Locomotion, bought a vinyl remix copy of I Should Be So Lucky, and never stopped rooting for her through the whole Jason Donovan roller coaster ride relationship — even then, you will be disappointed with this new CD.
Much of the album is weak and unoriginal. Loving Days sounds like an outtake from Madonna’s Erotica album, while Sweet Music attempts to imitate Justin Timberlake imitating Michael Jackson! Penned by D-Mob star Cathy Dennis, Sweet Music has none of Dennis’s signature hooks or innate sassiness. The lacklustre album closer After Dark should never have been recorded and the R&B wannabe track Red Blooded Woman simply tries too hard. Lead single Slow is the worst of the bunch, with its tortoise pace and soporific lyrics. A poor choice for freshman single, Slow is certain to decelerate album sales.
In fact, there isn’t a single song on Body Language that is worth a second listen. There is nothing with the infectious vibe of Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, the haunting chords of Fever or the cheekiness of Come Into My World. At times, the disc is so dull you cannot be blamed for mistaking it for a Dannii Minogue effort! Sadly, the whole album is forgettable. Simply get the thought of buying it out of your head!—T. U. Dawood
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