Colonial Cousins catch the aatma of Indipop fusion
05th May 2001
11.00 IST
After two-and-a-half years in hibernation, Indipop fusion band Colonial Cousins, comprising Hariharan and Leslie Lewis, has sprung into action with their latest album “Aatma”.
Released under the Sony label, the nine-track album is a delectable fusion of Indian gayaki and contemporary instrumentation. Though Hariharan and Leslie Lewis have different styles, they are suffused with the same spirit throughout the album.
Hariharan, an exponent of Carnatic music trained in Hindustani gayaki under the tutelage of Padamshree Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, displays vocal skills in his rich baritone in songs like “Guiding Star” (its video is currently on air), “Mata Pita” and “Dheem Dheem Dhirena”.
Lewis, on the other hand, chips in with the pop element. While the English lyrics Lewis sings have depth and meaning, his vocals are delightfully sweet at places. One can easily detect a conscious attempt on his part to infuse his singing with emotion. Still, the saving grace of “Aatma” is the emphatic presence of Hariharan.
There is also a song “I Love You Girl” which Hariharan has dedicated to his daughter Divya. Its title “I love you girl, for Divya when I’m Gone” says everything.
Both Hariharan and Lewis are artists in their own right and have their solo careers to look forward to. Besides being busy in playback singing Hariharan had cut a ghazal album “Kaash” last year, while Lewis has been busy composing jingles and producing music.
Colonial Cousins had won the Billboards Awards for the Best Asian Music group with their debut album. However, in their second album “The way we do it” they experimented a bit and departed from the sounds that characterized their style in the debut album.
In “Aatma”, however, they have got back to square one and incorporated the same sounds and style that music buffs have come to identify with them.
After two-and-a-half years in hibernation, Indipop fusion band Colonial Cousins, comprising Hariharan and Leslie Lewis, has sprung into action with their latest album “Aatma”.