Chicane — Behind The Sun (Sony Music) «««

OFFERING a gentle blend of house beats and new age hooks, Chicane successfully brought the club dance music into the mainstream scene. Nobody could resist the temptation to dance whenever the chart-bursting Offshore was unleashed. And this album is no exception. Overture offers some horizontal symphony sessions. No Ordinary Morning provides slumbering four-to-the-flour beats. Saltwater Original showcases melodious vocals by Maire Brennan, produced by Nick Bracegirdle and Ray Hedges. Justine presents her unique vocal skills on Autumn Tracks. Andromeda is destined to storm all the dance floors around the world, mixed by Nick and Leo Elstob. The other dance floor pushers include Halcyon, Overlap and Don’t Give Up which features Bryan Adams in the vocals. So all you club goers, get ready to heat up behind the sun.

Air Supply — The Ultimate Collection (BMG Crescendo) ««««

Air Supply first came to prominence in the early 1980s with a series of seven top 5 US singles and platinum albums. Since then the soft-rock duo Russell Hitchock and Graham Russell have maintained a reputation for their unique and distinctive sound. Lost In Love, All Out Of Love and The One That You Love shook the entire music world for their vocal values, stirring rhythm and true-to-life lyrics. Air Supply first released a Greatest Hits collection in 1983, which contained a new smash hit single Making Love Out Of Nothing At All and sold 5 million copies worldwide. This latest ‘Ultimate Collection’ offering is released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Air Supply. The album is ultimate in all respects. All the songs have been digitally remastered from the original master tapes using the latest 24-bit technology. Needless to say, every track included in this compilation has been a hit. The most prominent ones include Lost In Love (from Lost In Love — 1980), Every Woman In The World (Lost In Love — 1980), Unchained Melody (News From Nowhere — 1995), All Out Of Love (Lost In Love), Goodbye (Vanishing Race — 1993), Without You (The Earth Is — 1991). I Can Wait Forever (Ghostbusters — Original Soundtrack — 1984), The Power Of Love (Air Supply — 1985) and Now And Forever (Now and Forever: Greatest Hits — 1995). Two new songs have been specially recorded for this album — Longer, a new version of the Dan Fogelberg classic and a new Graham original, The Scene.

Joe Satriani — Engines Of Creation (Sony Music) «««

Joe Satriani is certainly one of the most celebrated and accomplished guitar players of the last decade. What sets Satriani above every guitar virtuoso isn’t his ability to play clean chops — his guitar compositions are complete songs in themselves. Engines Of Creation is a massive compendium of rarities, new material and cutting-edge. The album represents a new level of rhythmic achievement employing several altered guitar riffs, vast electronic textures and varied compositional gestures. The opening track Devil’s Side is a meticulous effort superimposed with modernised grooves and sub-Goldie jungle rhythms. Bong Sex and Slow and Easy are typicial Satriani works. Until We Say Goodbye is a surprise packed track featuring bass work by noted guitarist Pat Thrall and drumming samples of ‘Late Show with David Letterman’s’ Auton Fig under the production of Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Black Crowes). Clouds Race Across The Sky weaves a dreamy backdrop of his unlimited harmonic flights. Some of the tracks worth checking out are Flavor Crystal 7, Champagne? and The Power Cosmic 2000 part 1 and 2. A remarkable effort.

N’Sync — No Strings Attached (HMV) ««

No Strings Attached is N’Sync’s bid to reposition itself for the new teen-pop millennium. This 12-song collection’s release was delayed after this Florida-based boy band got tangled in litigation with its previous label and manager. Throughout this follow-up to their self-titled ‘98 debut, N’Sync tries to come off the boys next door image, scaling back their syrupy soul-pop beats and party-hearty anthems. Bye Bye Bye is already a smash hit that packs a decent pop punch, lacing its peppy harmonies with a dark and sinister edge. Spacey Cowboy title lifted from a Steve Miller chestnut — offers soulful electro-disco groove. Just Got Paid (produced by Teddy Riley), Bringin’ The Noise and Digital Get Down are real Friday night goers. This I Promise You, When I’II Stop Loving You and I Thought She Knew prove that the band has not lost its gentle touch. Maturity alert. This is N’Sync with an edgier effect.

Album of the month

Youssou N’ Dour — Joko — From Village To Town
(Sony Music)

The Senegalese singer hits back with probably his best work so far. The result here is a confident album rich in ideas and rhythms. The fusion of western and African music is so remarkable that the dividing lines appear near to nothing. His song writing and arranging skills displays a total assimilation of both forms. His winning formula here is the ability to experiment. He has the knack of taking the most unlikely combination of sounds, instruments and styles, and arranging them into an awesome piece of music. The songs are sophisticated, inspirational and instantly memorable, ranging from the furiously compelling Liggeey to the melodic Wiri-Wiri, inspired by the work of Senegalese musician Henri guillabert (of band Xalam). Red Clay is a stirring track that talks about the Senegalese soil. Please Wait preaches us about the drawbacks of material possessions in life. The album also offers various collaborations with prominent musicians which include Don’t Walk Away featuring Sting, The Dream with Peter Gabriel, How Come with Wyclef Jean and Birima (Remix) featuring Wyclef Jean and Marie-Antonette aka Free. The highlights of the album remains a cover of Smokey Robinson’s Don’t Look Back produced by Jean and the guitar-driven She Doesn’t Need To Fall. It would be an injustice to categorise Youssou’s music into one particular music form. His music is a revolution — to be better known as Youssounism.

— Saurabh & Gaurav