My own best enemy
Richard Marx
Virgin/EMI; Rs 135

Love therapist and ladies? man of the 80s, mush-rocker Richard Marx had fallen prey to the changing times. Armed with a blanket of super soppy tunes, he once mopped the sadness off ladies? chests with a flair that the fairer sex found infatuating and irresistible. The women grew older and Richard Marx grew colder. But, somehow, he kept the fire burning within himself and in the smitten millions that he had purchased with his heart-shaped currency.

My Own Best Enemy is a brave new attempt to re-establish Richard Marx as a fiery heart-rocker, who yet continues to tug at the strings of compassion like not too many can. Starting off with the mid-tempo rocker Nothing left to say (the similarity to Collective Soul?s Shine is striking) Marx takes us back to his Repeat Offender days. When you?re gone raises the bar further with its trademark mush smearing delicately into splintered rock and roll in spot-on Marx fashion. Fresh, invigorating stuff, considering the rather foul traffic jamming up the airwaves nowadays! If you were to pick a solitaire and place it among Marx?s finest, it would have to be Ready to fly which should also be the weeper to watch out for this season.

Falling, The other side and Someone special are other tracks that regenerate the familiar Marxian ooze, making you want to spill them over and over again. One thing left is poignant and rich whereas Colder is one helluva stone-cold rocker suggesting that Richard Marx should be around for at least another century.

Sunny Dua

Swapner Ishara
Babul Supriyo
Sagarika; Rs 40

Done up in a typical Hindi album style, Babul Supriyo proves that good production and presentation make for excellent results. The lyrics might not be as powerful, the music might just remind one of other well-known songs but in spite of it all the eight songs by Babul are worth lending an ear to. Cholo na jai kothao is a peppy number, and Shakal shakal very romantic with musical strains from Diwana hua badal in its interlude. One of the best songs in the album. The music is by Chirodip Dasgupta.

Esho prane esho aamar gane on Side B is one more from Chirodip, with a classical touch. Shibnath Banerjee has written the rest of the songs and the music comes from Gautam Das and Deb Gautam. Mon je khoje mon is a song with a fetish for ?Nilanjana? made popular by Nachiketa, was Babul aware of it at all? But finally it is Babul Supriyo, lending his name and his characteristic voice that gives the album its ultimate thrust.

Madhuparna Das

Bajao Tumi Kabi
Srikanta Acharya
Prime Music; Rs 45

Given that the post-copyright years of Tagore have seen all and sundry trying their hand at the Bard?s compositions, Prime Music?s collection is definitely a cut above the rest. And Srikanta Acharya?s album doesn?t fail to meet the mark. Daruno agnibaney, Tomra ja bolo tai bolo and Amar raat pohalo have been executed with elegance. Srikanta?s voice is steady as ever, and while remaining true to the original compositions he evokes emotions with ease.

Rupashi Raat
Jojo
Prime Music; Rs 42

This one fails to hold you. Though Jojo does a decent job and the music isn?t all that discordant, the combined effect somehow falls short of the mark. Shohe na re, however, is a bluesy track that has been executed with flair. The lyrics are clumsy in places, pock-marked by banal usage.

One wishes the production was more sleek, though compared to other mediocre records jostling for shelf space, this one?s not so un-sleek after all!

Anirban Das Mahapatra