Junoon

End of the work day on Friday & I was in a good mood. Come home; switch on the TV & Friday evening serendipity is complete with this ..... Abhijeet Sawant's latest, Junoon.


It appears that he (or Sony BMG, or both) has taken a conscious decision to go in for a reinvention of his image.

India's first Indian Idol could so far be seen in all kinds of videos that appealed to the gum-chewing, teenybopper, girlie crowd that bought his albums in droves. The songs were designed for mass-appeal & the guy justifiably went on to reach great success & popularity.

Cut to now, & what do we see? A stark, brooding number filled with introspective lyrics amplified by the desolate visuals of Ladakh where the video's been shot. Plus, there is a perceptible change in his voice which now sounds like a cross between those of Mika & Gary Lawyer! I'm anxious to know who the music composer is.

Amazing as that may sound, the end results are very impressive. A pop-rock sound, lyrics that aren't half as inane as those on his first album & a smashing video to boot. If this is the change that Indian non-film music needs to get it out of the present rut it's in, then I'm all for it.