JAZZY B
Romeo

Album Rating: 4/5

Ok follow this analogy, its quite simple: Michael Jackson is to pop music as Jazzy B is to _____?

Well if your living in a hole and your first thought was who the heck is Jazzy B then its time to wake up and smell the fresh chicken tikka masala. Jaswinder Singh Bains aka Jazzy B is an individual of great influence in the bhangra music industry today with hit after hit and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all. Trust me, you were dancing to at least one of his songs at the last wedding you attended. Well the much-anticipated return of the ‘Crowned Prince of Bhangra’ has dawned as Jazzy B is back with his 10th album titled “Romeo”. The album features ten fresh tracks and bringing in many different styles and sounds.

On the first track Jazzy doesn’t disappoint and hooks up with one of the biggest names ever in the industry, the Don Raja himself Apache Indian on “Dil Luteya”. Just the magnitude of the one-two combo together is enough for a knockout without even listening to the song. It’s got a nice slow desi-dancehall kind of vibe that we usually get from many Apache Indian songs in the past. I can’t knock on this one so let’s see if I can find something wrong on the next.

“Yaari” brings in some heavy bass and simple dhol beats and ends up being an okay track, nothing special really. I got some nice bass out of my speakers and would be a good track for the car, especially for all those bass lovers out there. Track three brings in a distinct sound we don’t get to hear much of in North America as you would in Europe. The sounds of drum & bass and garage has “Rakh Sambh Ke” jumping. The musical production has been thought out quite well as we have a fusion of many sounds and instruments that work well. A traditional bhangra fan wouldn’t approve much and in my opinion kind of misses the mark, as it’s nothing special. We’ve heard this before from Jazzy and it didn’t even work then.

Now “Bach Bach Ke” definitely has been produced with your wedding or party in mind, well if not it’s going to get played! Jazzy has done it here and shows why he has been on the forefront of the industry for over a decade. I can’t say anything about this track (I’d be hated upon even if I tried). This one gets two hands up, I might as well screw in the light bulbs while they’re up there

Let’s skip over a couple of tracks (“Sajna” and “Gabru”) and hit number seven, as it’s the title track of the album. Jazzy brings in some more reinforcements, although not like any he’s ever used before, Takeover Entertainment are a slew of rappers from the U.S. of A. The urban influence is immediately noticed and without even going past the first 30 seconds I am LOVING it! This track absolutely smashes it and has great potential to branch to the mainstream. It’ll even have the hip-hop lovers nodding their heads in approval. This one will be getting a number of plays for sure, so pardon me for a second while I take a break and put it up a few decibels!

Well after a few listens, I have moved on to the remaining three tracks, “Nachna”, “Tappe”, and “Soorma”. Jazzy will keep the traditionalists and garage lovers some more and does his thing on each of them. I obviously don’t talk about it much as they aren’t anything special in my opinion.

Just to note as well, the complete album was produced by a couple of the best producers in the scene today, Sukhshinder Shinda and Ravi Bal. Shinda and Bal are on mark with their production and all tracks have been given their special touches. Well after being on hiatus for a couple of years its great to see Jazzy back in the swing of things and it’s apparent that he’s just warming up. Due out during the spring season will be Jazzy B’s attempt at the mainstream market with the single “Kaun Nachdi” so watch out for that. A lot of hype and promotion is being put into it! Going back to “Romeo” Mr. Bains, what can I say except that I wasn’t disappointed nor was I hopping off my chair yelling “Oh My God”! Jazzy B has won my heart for now but not sure if it I’ll be making it a long-term relationship. 3 great tracks are strong enough to stand out for a while and the other couple of decent ones get this Romeo a 4 out of 5.

More information check out www.jazzyb.com and for the new upcoming single check out
www.kaunnachdi.com.

Tracking listing:
1. Dil Luteya (feat. Apache Indian) 2. Yaari 3. Rakh Samb Ke 4. Bach Bach Ke 5. Sajana	6. Gabru 7. Romeo (feat. Takeova Ent.) 8. Nachana 9. Tappe 10. Soorma

Reviewed by Ankur Sood
(the Desi Underground Project)