Josh brings back 'Mausam'
 
Josh has always stood out for their catchy beats. Most of their well-known numbers are upbeat such as 'Josh Naal', 'Ban Farkey' and the very recent 'Mahi Ve'. But now Josh is out with what can only be termed as their most melodic number to date. It is not a Josh composition – 'Mausam' is actually an old Pakistani song sung by Zubeida Khanum – but the way they have treated it with a soft and modern beat is fantastic. Josh has re-sung it without changing the melody, merely adding a few notes here and there. Umar Anwar has shot the video for this sweet and melodic number. Both Q and Rup look rather cute as they are shown walking around the city, riding a rickshaw, buying vegetables and doing random chores with nonchalance. It's simplistic for the lazy feel it portrays, and it
goes quite well with the song. It can be graded as Umar Anwar's best video after 'Aadat' so do check it out. 'Mausam' is a must-see.
 
Malal' remixed
 
Abbas Ali Khan is a very talented singer. His album, Sun Re had a number of gems in it with the most prominent one being, 'Malal'. Where the song was soft, intricate with wry wordplay, the video was the opposite. Now, Abbas Ali Khan has released a remix video of 'Malal' and musically, it's very good. It is neither a chaotic mix with too may things happening at the same time nor does it concentrate on one intact beat throughout. It shifts a beat as weird percussion nuances take center and continues to move around the melody. The video also gels well with the song. Instead of making a new video, Abbas has stuck to the old vamp video but he's added a lot of visual graphics to it, electrifying wires, Abbas spinning turn tables in a black background as clips from old 'Malal' video are
also played. This is a very good remix and other musicians should take a cue from Abbas. (Atif are you listening?) Well done.
 
RHCP, Mary J and Beyonce rule the Grammy list
 

The Grammy Awards have finally released their nominations list for this year. As expected, Red Hot Chilli Peppers have picked up six nominations including Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song and Best Video for 'Dani California'. Mary J. Blige has picked up eight nominations this year while nine-time Grammy winner Beyonce Knowles has also picked up for nods this year for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ('Ring the alarm'), Best Contemporary R&B Album (B'Day) and Best R&B song for 'Déjà vu'. John Mayer, James Blunt, Rick Rubin, Dixie Chicks and Prince have also picked up a few nods. Thom Yorke's solo album, The Eraser has also been picked up for Best Alternative Album. Other nominees include Artic Monkeys, The Flaming Lips, Gnarls

Barkley and Justin Timberlake. Our votes are with Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Thom Yorke and Beyonce. Keep watching this space for more on the Grammys….
 
Bono gets knighted
 
U2 frontman Paul Hewson, aka Bono is being awarded honorary knighthood by the Queen for his services to the music industry and his humanitarian efforts against AIDS, eradication of global poverty and saving lives in Africa. Prime Minister Tony Blair, in a letter to Bono wrote, "You have tirelessly used your voice to speak up for Africa." However, since Bono is not British, he won't be given the title of Sir Bono. So U2 have had a good year. Last year, Bono was named the most influential pop star in 25 years and picked up 5 Grammy's for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. It would've been cooler if the rest of U2; especially Edge had also been honoured with a title but oh well… For now, congratulations to Bono (Sir)!