The Greatest Punjabi Hits of Jagjit and Chitra. CD.
EMI: CD-PSLP-5275
The songs in this album are mixed, some of them are typically light-hearted punjabi ditties and there are others that move. They might be difficult to appreciate if you don't understand Punjabi, but Jagjit's voice flows in Punjabi in a manner very different from his handling of Urdu/Hindi. Worth it if only for the shift in intonation. Chitra is very god with the punjabi as well, her voice has the sharpness I like in punjabi singers. Shiv Batalvi's lyrics especially are rendered beautifully by both singers. The music is rustic, and Jagjit has used the complete range of instruments a folk singer would. This is my favourite disc by Chitra & Jagjit.
It isn't often that a poet asks for the death of his muse. Yet the
concept of muse doesn't port well into this environment, for Shiv it is
the consciousness of his sorrow that drives him to write.
Music: Jagjit Singh
Ironic beyond comprehension, a song Shiv writes and at the same time
denies to anyone else the pleasure of singing. If Shiv were a god, the
homage we could pay him would be to listen to his voice or not listen at
all.
Music: Jagjit Singh
Perfect song, evokes the image of a poet on the street corner, perhaps strumming a thumri. The song itself contains the self-reflexivity found in ghazals but here ported into a 'folkish' setting.
Chitra is very good in this one, unusual movement through a difficult song, I love completely the manner in which she halts between words and syllables, gives the song a pathos all its own.
A slower song, and solitary as well. Perfect for a very late evening in Punjab, preferably somewhere the stars are still visible. Must remember next time I'm there. The tone is heavy, yet Jagjit at times almost slurs the words, a different sort of sadness.
Jagjit carries this song on his voice alone, the music is subsumed by the rhythm in his voice. Another reflective song, the unobtrusive nature of the music almost turns it into a wail. Perhaps the most significant sense I get from this (short) poem is a slow realization of lost innocence, yet there is an element of denial and almost a desire for reaffirmation, as one were afraid of making such a judgement alone.
A much lighter song, in this case from a live concert. The enthusiasm of the audience would almost convince one this is a wedding and we're invited. Jagjit is then just the "uncle" who remembers boliyan well.