PJD - Rumours (Album Review)
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Record Label: VIP Records
Release Date: August 2006
No Of Tracks: 11
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I’l be honest with you (as I usually am), I seriously did not have a clue who this PJD fella is. Apprently his quite a big DJ in the Midlands area, but me being from London, I wouldn’t know! However with the quality of all of VIP releases, im sure Mr VIPS himself was wise in signing PJD to his ever expanding empire (evil laugh). His bio talks of him DJing with many different hip hop stars, although his production career is very short lived until now. A sole effort called ‘AWOL’ was released a few years back on the Bhangra garage tip. I cant say much about that album, I haven’t heard it.
So considering my lack of knowledge about this guy, I didn’t want to sit here and repeat his official bio, blah blah blah. "Rumours" is the latest offering from VIP records, a quick glance at the tracklistings turns me straight off this album, even before I have even listened to it. Whats that… 6 lehmber tracks. I mean we all know this guys getting rinsed, I thought the Ominous Dj album was bad, but this is taking it to new levels. I guess PJD might have got a special deal with Lehmber vocals at his local Tescos!
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Intro.. What a track! Nah just kidding, its your usual intro, exceedingly pointless.
Gurinder Ginda, up until now an unknown vocalist brings in ‘Gidhe Wich Tu Nachdi’, he wont be unknown for long though, his got an superb voice. This track somewhat has a ‘Main Hoygea Sharabi’ format with a deep bassline that’s all too similar. The production is very simplistic however not getting away from that fact that it is a very good track. The vocals make the track, a good start to the album.
The first of 6 lehmber tracks is here under the name of ‘Tere Ote Dil Ageya’, this is the main track which has been used to push the album, with the video currently airing on Zee + B4U, Check it out under our video section. Now onto the track, I first heard this all the way back in May and I honestly brushed it off, but it most defiantly grew on me in a big big way. The track has a sample from a forthcoming Kray Twinz track featuring DMX & Truth Hurts. However on the inlay I’m glad to see the sample has been clearly credited!. The tune itself is sick! Lehmber sounds as good as ever. The tumbi here is infectious and is played constantly throughout the whole track, a smart piece of looping here, as its given intervals just at the correct time. Also on the track is Glasgow based MC ‘Hydro’ who drops a few verses throughout the song, and does a good job. A top track.
‘Dhol Janiya’ is next, once again the vocals are courtesy of Lehmber Hussainpuri. The BPM is slowed down from the last song. This has a real old school feel to it, the production once again is simple, with a soulful tabla playing throughout the track. The lyrics tend to get very repetitive and in the end you just wish Lehmber would shut up about his Dhol. A mellow tune.
A chorus of banging dhols introduces the Lehmber ‘Boliyan’ (part 548). To stop me going through the phases, this track is just poor. The vocals sound a rehash of about 5 different Lehmber tracks resung and mashed together with some cello tape. The production is nothing mind-blowing, pretty basic loops used throughout the song, the track sounds very amateurish, as there a moments when the music goes on too long not in line with the vocals. Just a real mess.
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Lets hope ‘Punjabi Tere Dhol’ can get things on track. The title of the track is a little deceiving, theres no dhol to be found, maybe there should have been as it may have improved the production to something worth giving my listening ears to. Lehmber sounds as worse as I have ever heard him, as if his singing in a hurry because his roti is getting cold. The beat is totally different from what we have heard throughout the album, which I credit PJD on, no one likes a album that sounds the same, however the beat once again doest not match the vocals in many places, another track that sounds as if it should not be on ANY album. The most exciting thing about this track are the funny noises that come throughout the song, reminds of my old Mario game on the SNES, good times, bad song.
Onto song number 7, after Tere ote dil, there isn’t much my own dil is raving about right now, I wont say who the vocalist on this song is, just take a wild guess! ‘Aaja Nach Le’ is another piece of basic production, dhol, dhad. One thing I do like about this song is the use of the flute, sticking a flute in a Bhangra track, you can never go wrong! Although I did say one thing, it’s the only thing I liked about the track. Once again Lehmber sounds stale, and the production does nothing to set the track on fire.
Flicking through the track listings this track caught my eye in particular, its sung by a fast rising singer by the name of Jaswant Heera, who in a short period has accumulated a number of hits to his name including Ryan Singh’s Margaye Kurie and Nach Ke off Repazent. It’s a pleasant break from the voice of Lehmber, who for the past 5 tracks has been playing. ‘Dil Varda’ starts off sounding like someone is learning how to play the tumbi, however don’t be fooled, this track is brilliant. The vocals are excellent, I can see why VIP records are really pushing this guy, his going to be big! The production compliments the vocals quite well; this song is one of the best off the album, although with the quality of the vocals it was hard to mess this one up.
‘Lal Doriya’ sees the final Lehmber track on this album, this song starts off well, I love the beat PJD has used here, no sampling required here. But once again it feels as though the vocals will slapped onto this beat with a little bit of cutting up in between with no thought process coming into it. There a moments when it sounds horrible, but then there also moments when this track sounds good, its abit of hit and miss. I love the use of the flute once again, adds something different on the song. But its not up there with the required standard.
Classic Meets Funk’ is a full out instrumental track which showcases a little bit more of PJD’s production skills. Its exactly what its title says it is, Classic (Algozey & Vaaja) meeting Funk (hard hitting beats), the background flute sounds similar to the one used on Lal Doriya, although its not faint to even notice at times. I like this track, but its not like I will be listening to it for a long time, it showcases PJD’s talent, but this is classed as a ‘Bhangra’ album, so it would have been better to slap some vocals on here, which go with the beat that is!
The grand finale is….. Another instrumental, this time of ‘Punjabi Tere Dhol (Instrumental)’ so all my Acid Pro budding producers out there this is for you. For those of you who have no interest in making songs, much like me, its pointless. They (a label) should either release a whole instrumental cd full of beats or put snippets up for download, simply putting a instrumental to fill up a cd doesn’t quite work anymore.
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I went into this album without any real expectations so its hard for me to say that im disappointed, because well I did not know what to expect. To be totally honest this album has three worth while tunes, Gideh Wich Tu Nachdi, Tere Ote Dil & Dil Varda. The rest of the album isn’t up to par. It feels as though no real thought has gone into the making of this album. Did PJD just think, ‘Lehmber sells, lets get him all over my album’, its all good having good vocals but you need the production and flair to create these vocals into real songs. The positives are few and far between but Jaswant Heera and Gurinder Ginda show Bhangra producers that there is a world without Lehmber.
‘Tere Ote Dil Ageya’ will smash up the club scene during freshers week, but I cant really see myself grabbing this out of my collection and wanting to listen 1 month down the line.
PJD – Rumours gets a 6/10
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