You can listen to the album here.
Aaiyo Re is a lovely throwback to Colonial Cousins of the 90s, a soothing folk tune (raga brindavana saranga-based?) with some excellent flute play and Lesle’s guitar hook to go with, evoking fond memories of songs like Indian Rain and Feel Alright. That Bengali chorus adds to the beauty of the song very well. Hariharan is impeccable with his juggling of swaras in Ma Ma Re (raga saraswathi, I think) but the rest of the song doesn’t quite match up. The pop elements don’t quite gel with the carnatic segment here unlike their past fusion songs. But the duo make the mix work fabulously in the dark, seemingly vakulabharanam raga-based Radhe Govind Gopala. Set like a reprise to Krishna Nee Begane and almost as effective, the song sees Hariharan singing a bhajan while Lesle chips in with English lyrics.
Janabe Ali has sufficiently catchy elements in its arrangement and the singing to prop it above the awkwardly structured lyrics and make it entertaining. The rock anthem style flavoring goes well with the Marathi folk base of Kaise Samjhaye. The percussion is the highlight in this one, seeing a smart combination of folk and world. Tak Dhina Dhin starts off sounding like a scale-changed version of Lesle’s classic Pari Hoon Main, but then takes off on a different, Bollywood-ish, route once the song starts. Not that I have anything against the Bollywood factor, it is a nice melody. Sajna Ve is good ol’ Indipop, the kind Lesle used to make KK a star, and has pretty much the same tranquil effect on you with its simple guitar-led arrangement, and a nice rendition.
As the duo said in their interview, Colonial Cousins Once More has a lot of the old Colonial Cousins in it, thankfully in a non ennui-inducing way. Engaging comeback this, from the composers.
Top Recos: Aaiyo Re, Sajna Ve, Radhe Govind Gopala, Kaise Samjhaye
