Oh Nain Preeto Deh… , once this track starts playing, you know your going to have to dance! Panjabi by Nature / PBN surprised us all last year by coming out with a solid album in ‘Setting The Standard’ which had dancefloor hits; Nain Pareeto Deh and Nachdi Ready or Not sees the return of PBN in his first major album since ‘Setting the Standard’, he has certainly been a busy man, with producing tracks off Limitless Records compilation album ‘Ounce Of Desi’,  it seems this 9 track album has been produced in under a year, as PBN started to give radio airplay to the tracks in late august, could this simply be another rushed album to bank on the success of  ‘Setting the Standard’?

No intro… good start! Album kicks off with ‘Aaj Mai Peeni Ah’ , alcoholics get ready for another anthem for you guys. Non drinkers, you will say what’s the big deal. With a fast pulsating tumbi and a typically PBN dhol beat, it smells of repetition, with a hint of ‘Nachdi’ and ‘Nain Pareeto Deh’. The track features in house limitless records singer; Sanjay Dhaliwal, who as usual does his best on the track giving an energetic performance. The lyrics are simple, easy to sing along to and get your feet tapping. Maybe PBN followed the rules on how to make a hit track: Make sure it’s about alcohol! This track is always going to do well on the dance floor, but I can’t seem to think how long it really took him to make this. A good start to the album.

Onto the title track ‘Ready Or Not (Akhiya)’, this track features a combo of artists, with Sameet as the female vocalist Sanjay Dhaliwal making another appearance, also we get to hear from D-Rap. The beat itself is basic; PBN once again uses a simple piano beat as the main beat, which seems similar to the previous track. Sanjay Dhaliwal  does well on this track, Sameet shows promise , although it has been let down by the poor production.

The 3^rd track sees PBN team up with the great Surinder Shinda. Now before I get into the track, id like to say Surinder Shinda is my all time favourite singer, his voice has the most impact on any tune. Now the song itself… ‘Sohne Lagde’. I don’t know what PBN has done here, but I hate to say it… Shinda sounds weak! His voice seems watered down into something insulting of the great singer. Kam Frantic gives a helping hand on the backing guitar, the production is nothing new, and we’ve heard it all before.

Sanjay Dhaliwal comes back  again, for the third time, with ‘Balle Balle’, with a long slow intro that leaves u wanting to fall asleep, the song powers into a track filled with pure energy, with your usual Hoi’s in the background. The production once again is nothing mind blowing, you will have heard a track like it before, and I lost my interest within 2minutes

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‘Aaaja Nachle’ sees Dippa Satrang make his first appearance, the singer of ‘Nain Pareeto Deh’ is back to sing another dance floor tune. Although the tune is simple and accompanied by the same dhol and tumbi beat it will no doubt get people dancing. A solid track, nothing special or different from the norm. This track is one for the desi heads!

‘Kalja’ once again sees Dippa Satrang back on the mic, not sure what happened here on this tune, PBN finally realised he can produce a tune without the same piano beat and dhol. This tune feels as though Kam Frantic has had a more than ‘helping hand’, the track gives your usual Frantic Studios feel, more accompanied with Zeus.

‘Banere Utte’ is the next track, with a slow intro with a girl speaking about some random business, lol; it would help if she talked as if she actually means it. Onto the track, we see the introduction a new singer Jeewan Mann, who certainly does not do anything to harm himself on this track. The track is a slow melodious song, a solid song.

Mr Dhaliwal is back for his last song on the album named ‘Din’ , as soon as the track starts I think ‘Ah ni kuriye’ , im sure you all know that now famous dhol beat, which has been used by Miss scandalous on her album. Track is average at best; at this point you start to think does PBN have a world outside Kam Frantic and Sanjay Dhaliwal?

The final track on the album is called ‘Oh Yeah’ as the rapper says they are the ‘Masters of the Asian urban scene’ err, no you aint. This track is garbage, if I wanted to listen to a mainstream track I would go to HMV. The beat? Think of ‘Aaj Mai Peeni Ah’ without the dhols and tumbi, the same piano beat. I can see some people liking this track, it is quite catchy, but if PBN is trying to aim at the mainstream with this track, then it isn’t a good start.

So that’s it, 9 tracks, £10 , ok maybe I have been slightly over critical, the album has 9 Solid tracks, but PBN isn’t a newcomer in the Bhangra scene, this is his Fourth major album, and it seems as though he has taken a step backwards. This album stinks of repetition from the first to the last track. I can only see this album appealing to hardcore PBN fans, to a neutral who is listening in, they as I have, will find this album distinctly average. PBN really needs to get down and spend more time on a album, this has been his second album in under a year, considering that it first was aired in august on radio, it seems as though he had it finished by august time. No doubt people will go crazy for Aaj Mai Peeni Ah, what the hell even I have requested it, but PBN has gone safety first on this album, nothing to break barriers, he has stayed within the box of Kam frantic and Sanjay Dhaliwal. It’s a ‘1 track album’ although some tracks may just pull it through, however I will only recommend this to hardcore PBN fans. I cannot see why anyone would want to listen to this album more than two times. 4.5/10.