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Qareeb
| Qareeb | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Urdu poetry, Indian music, ghazals | |||
| Label | Triple Earth Records Shanachie Records | |||
| Producer | Bunt Stafford Clark, Iain Scott | |||
| Najma chronology | ||||
| ||||
Qareeb is an album by the British Indian singer Najma, released in 1987.[1][2] It was issued in England by Triple Earth Records before being picked up for an American release by Shanachie Records.[3] Songs from the album appear in the Stephen Frears film Sammy and Rosie Get Laid.[4][5]
Production[edit]
The album was produced by Bunt Stafford Clark and Iain Scott.[6] It was recorded in England, with Najma setting traditional ghazals to her own melodies.[4] Triple Earth envisioned a jazzy recording, while Najma fought to keep the emphasis on her voice and the poetic recitation.[2]
Critical reception[edit]
Script error: No such module "Album ratings". Robert Christgau wrote that "the overall effect is twofold: gentle culture clash and sheer physical beauty."[7] The New York Times thought that "in [Najma's] lower and middle ranges, she commands the solid aim and tonality of a pop professional, yet she bounds off up the scale like a rock singer who wants to see how far she might go ... Najma's producers are right up-to-date in this era of digitally influenced recorded pop; in strongly etched strokes, they exaggerate the presence of a few instruments rather than accumulate a mesh of many textures."[6]
The Washington Post wrote that "sweetly insinuating tones waft above the lilting electronic keyboards and skipping percussion of the tablas on tracks like 'Neend Koyi'."[8] The Chicago Reader praised Qareeb's "rolling, funky bass, its circular violin figures, and its expressive saxophone," writing that Najma's "incredible" voice "never grew tiresome."[9] The Gazette deemed it "a unique and masterful release."[10]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Neend Koyi" | 6:42 |
| 2. | "Jane Kis Tarha" | 6:17 |
| 3. | "Dil Laga Ya Tha" | 5:48 |
| 4. | "'Apne Hathon'" | 5:26 |
| 5. | "Zikar Hai Apna Mehfil Mehfil" | 6:29 |
| 6. | "Karoon Na Yad Maga" | 8:54 |
| 7. | "Har Sitam Aap Ka" | 9:11 |
References[edit]
- ↑ "Najma | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Snowden, Don (18 May 1991). "Najma Popularizes Sounds of India". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 11.
- ↑ Ellingham, Mark (July 25, 1999). "The Rough Guide to World Music". Rough Guides – via Google Books.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCL - ↑ "Blend of Jazz and poetry makes East meets West". Toronto Star. 4 Aug 1989. p. E4.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hunter, James (April 2, 1989). "RECORDINGS; Najma: An Old-New Voice In International Pop Music" – via NYTimes.com.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedauto1 - ↑ "SIRENS OF THE OLD WORLD". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ↑ Cox, Ted. "Pop: Year of the Woman II". Chicago Reader.
- ↑ Feist, Daniel (11 June 1989). "WORLD BEAT: Beating a track to the world sounds begins with research". The Gazette. p. H6.