Dil De
Jojo
Sagarika; Rs 42

The somewhat underrated Jojo does a Hindi cover version this time. Interestingly, she tackles not the Hindi evergreen hits or the recent bottle green item numbers, but the eight pop hits from the basic albums of Alisha Chinai (Dil de de de de or Dil ke badle mein dil de), Suneeta Rao (Pari hoon main), and the ilk. Jojo not only handles Hindi rather well, but does an Alisha Hinglish take as well as a Suneeta modulation. And even goes into a Shubha Mudgal (Ali more angana) with impressive confidence and excellent results. And we thought she was best known only as an Asha Bhosle clone. Only wish the shabby inlay design hadn?t let Jojo down (and those who deserved some more credit on it, like the original singers, for instance).

All Mixed Up
Nitin Sawhney
Times Music; Rs 100; CD, Rs 295

Twelve tracks, which ?includes eight previously unreleased? ones, though the marked ones on the inlay indicate six, with the older ones, Falling and Sunset, having two different versions each. Anyway, what was the hurry, man, you could have had a new album of all 12 fresh remixes if you could have rustled up another four new numbers. Guess the title is the answer. And it?s largely instrumental this time, you get to hear very little of Nitin Sawhney?s vocals though you get to hear snatches of a female voice! Unless we?re missing something very deep, there?s nothing here that will set the dance floors alight; nor is it meant for the connoisseur of remixes (if such a creature exists). So, aren?t we really all mixed up, oh yeah, dahlings, oh yeah?

HULCHUL
Music: Vidyasagar
Lyrics: Sameer
Venus; Rs 50

After Ilaiyaraja, Rahman and Kreem, we get to hear South veteran Vidyasagar in a Hindi film score. Being a Priyadarshan remake movie, it?s expected that the numbers are the same as the original except for the Hindi part. This is best exemplified in Rafta rafta by Udit and Sujatha, with the unmistakable la-la-la-la hum by Sujatha. Then there is the item number, Lut gayee, which seems a new addition, by Gayatri, Sayonara Philip, Poornima and Rajalakshmi. Folk-raunchy, but just okay as a song. The film was happening; but sadly, the music score isn?t.

Anil Grover

Greatest hits
Robbie Williams
EMI; Rs 135

The super voice sounds like it?s from the 80s, but the 90s is really where he found his super chords. So where does this young century place the Take That casualty? Right where you belong ? the new Millennium. Robbie Williams is all voice and a bit of soul, which may sound a little harsh, but that takes nothing away from the enigmatic Brit who once needed to punch in two ballistic records to sound politically right for the Yankees to say ?yeah? ? but still not ?oh yeah!?

Williams is a huge American loss, but his Greatest Hits still is collective victory by any standards. His digs at Indie and other naturalisms bring you some high-quality pop-bordering-on-rock kind of musical fare which is fresh by every means. The sensational Feel makes us feel closer to existence with lyrics like I got so much life running through my veins, going to waste and so what if he sounds like such a pussy on Kids, he fangs into an uptown cat on Let me entertain you ? an anthemic rock song that can move the fans of Queen as well as those of King Diamond. Angel is an effort ballad that tugs at your emotional strings the way the great Lennons and McCartneys once triumphed so casually. But we really aren?t living in the times of such musical giants and also, this isn?t a minuscule comparison so what about the real classic on hand? Just relish it!

Radio modulates Williams? voice and you have to listen just how. For starters, the rocking Old before I die is a fitting way to start this best of package. And once that you?re scratching at the seams, it makes you feel that the Robbie ego has really landed.

Sunny Dua