Samandar - Rahul Shamra

Santoor maestro Rahul Sharma is back. And this time around he takes you to 'A World Beneath The Ocean' - 'Samandar'. He tells a musical story of these very fascinating species and people of the ocean. He talks about underwater which is like another world, with its own life, myths and mysteries.

When a track's title reads 'Mistress Of The Sea', one is sure that it is going to be one haunting musical piece. That's exactly the way the track begins as the musical piece opens in a gripping manner but slow, subtle yet engaging coming musical binding happening through the amalgamation of various instruments including 'santoor'.

After exactly a couple of minutes, the mood is changed completely as Rahul gets his 'santoor' storming the track and making 'Mistress Of The Sea' one enriching experience. More you listen to it, more you end up falling in love, especially if you are fond of Yash Chopra school of music!

'Curse Of The Mermaid' - now could it have been more disturbing a title than this? One starts giving the track a close hearing right away to know what's in store since there is bound to be something different about it. A 15 minutes musical piece, it may well have been a record setting composition since the track just doesn't narrate a story, it is a story in itself.

Starting off in a haunting way with western instruments creating the right 'feel', one waits with bated breath for 'santoor' to arrive. Well, it arrives in an unexpected manner after 'Curse Of The Mermaid' is 3 minutes through. And just when one would have though that 'santoor' would be the mainstay of the track, it disappears once again!

'Coral Reefs' takes you all the way down to the depth of the ocean as faint sounds kick start the proceedings. This time around, it's not a long wait for 'santoor' to arrive since it is present from the very beginning. Creating a melodious setting that could be a tune for a romantic number, it goes on well for some time before it becomes stagnant once again after a good stage had been set for it. This frequent change in mood does diverts the attention of a listener but thankfully that is not for long as 'santoor' arrives back on the scene in a while.

There are no complains though in case of 'Sea Horses & Treasures' as 'santoor' forms the basis of some soothing melody that comes your way. The track moves on slowly without any ups and downs while 'santoor' too remains present in the entire duration of the track without making an unexpected vanishing act, as has been the case in number of tracks preceding it.

There is a faint sound from down under in case of 'Deep Sea Divers' that turns out to be a better listening experience than 'Sea Horses & Treasures', partly because it has that conventional Hindi film music appeal to it which makes it quite identifiable for one and all. There are different moods brought in the track through the way 'santoor' is paced with just the right pauses in the interim that makes 'Deep Sea Divers' an enjoyable experience.

Lastly comes 'Legends Of The Sea Goddess', which as per the track's title, begins on an haunting note. There is a certain mystery in the manner this track is developed with a slow yet gradual movement in the track. What is noticeable though is the sound of 'santoor' where the notes used are completely different from what one has been used to hearing from Rahul Sharma. Two minutes into the track and the tune starts becoming increasingly enjoyable with the tempo building up as a result of number of musical instruments coming together. Truly one of the best tracks in the album that brings 'Samandar' to