Raghu Dixit - About the album
Disclaimer - This is not an objective review. It is my very subjective observation.
The album in question is Vishal & Shekar presents Raghu Dixit
The Artist – Raghu Dixit
The Band - The Raghu Dixit Project or RDP for short.
Enough has been said about the fact that it is Vishal & Shekar’s first album as a record label. Much more has been said about the Bollywood endorsement RDP has received. Btw, RDP is all over MTV India, which is great. And you can now hear RDP on KBCS - 91.3 FM if you are in the Seattle area or on the station website if you are in any other part of the world.
Shows most likely to be heard in:
Spice Route – Wed 2100-2300 PDT (which yours truly DJs every other week)
Daily Planet – Weekdays 1500 – 1700 PDT
Personally, I have enjoyed Raghu’s music from the time I first heard it. At that time, it was a welcome relief. Honestly RDP sounded too good to be true. It took me all of a day to believe that as an artist, Raghu was completely committed to creating his own style and niche.
For close to a decade, Raghu has performed in every major university, college, corporate house and music lounge in India. He has been interviewed on India’s national television and prominent magazines. The urban youth of the country has followed the trail Raghu has blazed and helped build momentum for the band and the brand. After all these years of toil and tears, promises and rejections, the album is finally a reality. And with the realization of his decade long dream, Raghu has become the poster boy of sorts for all those young Indian rock-star aspirants who perform at every given opportunity with a hairbrush for a microphone, head banging interrupted only by stellar air guitar work. But don’t be fooled. RDP is not just another rock band basking in its 15 minutes of fame, wearing itself out on one authentic set. This lungi wearing, anklet jangling, largely loved band might just have given a new dimension to the Indian music industry as a whole.
In India, the majority of people have no exposure or inclination towards musical styles other than Bollywood, traditional or classical music. For this vast majority, RDP opens an entire new world of sounds and possibilities. And the reason Raghu’s style works so well in this segment is because he makes the songs accessible and understandable. There is no over intellectualization or snobbishness in lyrics, music, delivery or the artist himself. He sings in all the languages he knows and if he learns a new one, he’ll probably sing in that language as well. For those people who are exposed to various music styles from around the world, there is sense of recognition and awe with each song. Raghu has perfectly described his style of music as ‘a seamless amalgamation of Indian ethnic music and sounds from around the world’. He calls the genre Indo-World-Folk-Rock. I believe it’s just a matter of time before more genres get strung to this existing set. As of now, I detect blues, jazz, Carnatic, dub, reggae…it is futile to put a check box in front of such music.
The poetry makes my heart swell with emotion and pride. There is the timeless poetry of Sishunala Sharief filled with ancient wisdom and wit. I have heard many people sing Sharief’s songs but the compositions and tunes have always been untouched over the decades. I suppose, no one wanted to even try and make them sound different. And then I heard Raghu’s version of Sorutihudu Maneya Maalige. When juxtaposed, the older and newer versions are completely different in style and intensity. Of course, I prefer Raghu’s version. Then there are younger contemporary poets such as Neeraj Singh and Aditya Dhar who write simple, attractive verses relevant to this day and generation. Raghu has found a way to not only bring together different sounds from around the world, but also balance the older and newer literatures. In doing so, he has started bridging the musical generation gap of India. The older people no longer consider all young artists as riff-raff and the younger people don’t crinkle their nose at older literature or wisdom. Raghu now has an assured audience from across all generations and sub cultures. Very smart indeed!!
And of course, his booming voice is unlike anything you have heard before. There is certain clarity and openness that takes you by surprise and holds your interest track after track. There are very few self trained musicians who can hold a note the way he does. His singing style has mellowed and matured over the years. But the intense organic emotion still takes me by surprise every now and then.
The band compliments Raghu’s music beautifully. I understand that as a band they are open to experimenting with new sounds and liaising with other artists from around the world. What a novel idea!!
Band members/ regular contributors–Gaurav Vaz, Anirban Chakravarthy, Darbuka Siva, Bruce Lee Mani, Vijay Joseph, Jithin Das, Sandeep, Keith Peters, Josy John, Manoj George, Dharma, Prakash Sontakke, Abhijeet, Rahool, Rzhude, Navin Iyer, Balaji, Bhavani Shankar and the loyal Bandappa. I think this list will keep growing over time.
About the album itself - the first thing that struck me was the album art. It’s a nice chunky booklet in an earthy shade of red. The album cover has a painted portrait of Raghu with guitar in hand. Bangalore based artist Manjunatha has done a fabulous job capturing all the intricate details down to the individual hairstyles of the band members and the necklace that Raghu wears at his concerts, in the traditional and tedious Indian miniature style of art. Apart from the paintings there are some very beautiful photographs from concerts as well as photo shoots in rural India. The concept and design is by Vasu Dixit, Raghu’s brother and a musician himself. The album art is an authentic representation of the music and the band. A lot of thought has been put into the details and it is all very charming indeed.
As a DJ, one of my nightmares is to flip open a CD jacket and find that there is no liner notes inside. This is particularly true of CDs that are from South Asia. CDS often come with no more that the track listing. At best you will find a booklet with lyrics or photographs. Usually, I am looking up the internet for album and track information seconds before I go on air and it’s not the most pleasant experience. While this album’s booklet has lovely pictures and paintings which I enjoy, I wish there was a little more information about each track. There are Hindi and English lyrics but there are no translations. Exceptions are the two Shishunala Sharief songs, with lyrics in Kannada, English and the translation as well.
The last page has Raghu’s thank you notes. It’s been a while since I enjoyed reading credits so much. His sense of humor and graciousness are apparent in those few lines.
Albeit, I think it is well worth applauding Raghu Dixit - the artist, the man, the album and his vision for RDP as a band.
There are several well written reviews I’d like to point out. Split Magazine’s Anand Varghese has done considerable justice. As has Vidya Pradhan of Water, No Ice. So, please take the time to read and then listen to the music If you like the artist and band, support them by buying their album. They are easier to find on the Indian market but will soon be available for sale in the US on www.CDbaby.com
The album in question is Vishal & Shekar presents Raghu Dixit
The Artist – Raghu Dixit
The Band - The Raghu Dixit Project or RDP for short.
Enough has been said about the fact that it is Vishal & Shekar’s first album as a record label. Much more has been said about the Bollywood endorsement RDP has received. Btw, RDP is all over MTV India, which is great. And you can now hear RDP on KBCS - 91.3 FM if you are in the Seattle area or on the station website if you are in any other part of the world.
Shows most likely to be heard in:
Spice Route – Wed 2100-2300 PDT (which yours truly DJs every other week)
Daily Planet – Weekdays 1500 – 1700 PDT
Personally, I have enjoyed Raghu’s music from the time I first heard it. At that time, it was a welcome relief. Honestly RDP sounded too good to be true. It took me all of a day to believe that as an artist, Raghu was completely committed to creating his own style and niche.
For close to a decade, Raghu has performed in every major university, college, corporate house and music lounge in India. He has been interviewed on India’s national television and prominent magazines. The urban youth of the country has followed the trail Raghu has blazed and helped build momentum for the band and the brand. After all these years of toil and tears, promises and rejections, the album is finally a reality. And with the realization of his decade long dream, Raghu has become the poster boy of sorts for all those young Indian rock-star aspirants who perform at every given opportunity with a hairbrush for a microphone, head banging interrupted only by stellar air guitar work. But don’t be fooled. RDP is not just another rock band basking in its 15 minutes of fame, wearing itself out on one authentic set. This lungi wearing, anklet jangling, largely loved band might just have given a new dimension to the Indian music industry as a whole.
In India, the majority of people have no exposure or inclination towards musical styles other than Bollywood, traditional or classical music. For this vast majority, RDP opens an entire new world of sounds and possibilities. And the reason Raghu’s style works so well in this segment is because he makes the songs accessible and understandable. There is no over intellectualization or snobbishness in lyrics, music, delivery or the artist himself. He sings in all the languages he knows and if he learns a new one, he’ll probably sing in that language as well. For those people who are exposed to various music styles from around the world, there is sense of recognition and awe with each song. Raghu has perfectly described his style of music as ‘a seamless amalgamation of Indian ethnic music and sounds from around the world’. He calls the genre Indo-World-Folk-Rock. I believe it’s just a matter of time before more genres get strung to this existing set. As of now, I detect blues, jazz, Carnatic, dub, reggae…it is futile to put a check box in front of such music.
The poetry makes my heart swell with emotion and pride. There is the timeless poetry of Sishunala Sharief filled with ancient wisdom and wit. I have heard many people sing Sharief’s songs but the compositions and tunes have always been untouched over the decades. I suppose, no one wanted to even try and make them sound different. And then I heard Raghu’s version of Sorutihudu Maneya Maalige. When juxtaposed, the older and newer versions are completely different in style and intensity. Of course, I prefer Raghu’s version. Then there are younger contemporary poets such as Neeraj Singh and Aditya Dhar who write simple, attractive verses relevant to this day and generation. Raghu has found a way to not only bring together different sounds from around the world, but also balance the older and newer literatures. In doing so, he has started bridging the musical generation gap of India. The older people no longer consider all young artists as riff-raff and the younger people don’t crinkle their nose at older literature or wisdom. Raghu now has an assured audience from across all generations and sub cultures. Very smart indeed!!
And of course, his booming voice is unlike anything you have heard before. There is certain clarity and openness that takes you by surprise and holds your interest track after track. There are very few self trained musicians who can hold a note the way he does. His singing style has mellowed and matured over the years. But the intense organic emotion still takes me by surprise every now and then.
The band compliments Raghu’s music beautifully. I understand that as a band they are open to experimenting with new sounds and liaising with other artists from around the world. What a novel idea!!
Band members/ regular contributors–Gaurav Vaz, Anirban Chakravarthy, Darbuka Siva, Bruce Lee Mani, Vijay Joseph, Jithin Das, Sandeep, Keith Peters, Josy John, Manoj George, Dharma, Prakash Sontakke, Abhijeet, Rahool, Rzhude, Navin Iyer, Balaji, Bhavani Shankar and the loyal Bandappa. I think this list will keep growing over time.
About the album itself - the first thing that struck me was the album art. It’s a nice chunky booklet in an earthy shade of red. The album cover has a painted portrait of Raghu with guitar in hand. Bangalore based artist Manjunatha has done a fabulous job capturing all the intricate details down to the individual hairstyles of the band members and the necklace that Raghu wears at his concerts, in the traditional and tedious Indian miniature style of art. Apart from the paintings there are some very beautiful photographs from concerts as well as photo shoots in rural India. The concept and design is by Vasu Dixit, Raghu’s brother and a musician himself. The album art is an authentic representation of the music and the band. A lot of thought has been put into the details and it is all very charming indeed.
As a DJ, one of my nightmares is to flip open a CD jacket and find that there is no liner notes inside. This is particularly true of CDs that are from South Asia. CDS often come with no more that the track listing. At best you will find a booklet with lyrics or photographs. Usually, I am looking up the internet for album and track information seconds before I go on air and it’s not the most pleasant experience. While this album’s booklet has lovely pictures and paintings which I enjoy, I wish there was a little more information about each track. There are Hindi and English lyrics but there are no translations. Exceptions are the two Shishunala Sharief songs, with lyrics in Kannada, English and the translation as well.
The last page has Raghu’s thank you notes. It’s been a while since I enjoyed reading credits so much. His sense of humor and graciousness are apparent in those few lines.
Albeit, I think it is well worth applauding Raghu Dixit - the artist, the man, the album and his vision for RDP as a band.
There are several well written reviews I’d like to point out. Split Magazine’s Anand Varghese has done considerable justice. As has Vidya Pradhan of Water, No Ice. So, please take the time to read and then listen to the music If you like the artist and band, support them by buying their album. They are easier to find on the Indian market but will soon be available for sale in the US on www.CDbaby.com
posted by Arpana Sanjay at 11:51 PM
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