Friday 19 October 2007

Hazami – Nyata ****

You know your in for an aural roller coaster ride when the first thing you hear is a Mariah Carey like whistle – sweet and delicate before bursting into the joyous big band raucous that is AYUH, the first track from the singer songwriter Hazami's third album. Perhaps to infuse variation and freshness into his repertoire this time around, the album features an eclectic mix of R&B, pop, dance and Motown jazz while preserving his mainstay of signature ballads. Coming off on the heels of Anuar Zain’s latest opus, comparisons between the two crooners are inevitable. While this album slightly lacks the production polish and immediacy of his peer, Hazami’s willingness to experiment is both brave and commendable.

That is not to say that the album is not without it's highlights. The Audi Mok penned BUKAN IGAUAN, a stomper of a song that could have been the lovechild of Amerie’s ‘1 Thing’ + Beyonce’s ‘DejaVu’, showcases Hazami’s falsetto doing a one upmanship with wood instruments (also features backing vocals by Nikki); while the potential club hit YANG KU MAHU manages to channel Daft Punk electronica replete with vocoder effects. Meanwhile, Hazami’s accomplished songwriting skills are much evident in the haunting KATA CINTA MADAH DUSTA, the yearning SEMPAT, as well as the inspiring TIADA DIKAU TIADA DAKU, a tribute to his parents. Hazami also utilizes his resources to the fullest by featuring his choir group, ‘Music & Me Vocals’ as backing in many of the songs to great effect.

Overall, ‘Nyata’ is definitely Hazami’s most satisfying release to date and would further cement his reputation as one of the most talented artistes in the Malaysian music industry.

TRACKLIST
  1. Ayuh (Neal/Hazami) ****
  2. Tiada Dikau Tiada Daku (Hazami) ****
  3. Kata Cinta Madah Dusta (Hazami) *****
  4. Fikir (Hazami) ***
  5. Restu (Hazami / Azlan Abu Hasan) *** 1/2
  6. Tidak Mungkin (Hazami) ****
  7. Bukan Igauan (Hazami/ Audi Mok) *****
  8. Yang Ku Mahu (Hazami/ Audi Mok) ****
  9. Sempat (Hazami) ****
  10. Sepi (Hazami)***1/2
  11. Kiblatku (Hazami / Azlan Abu Hasan) ****

4 comments:

ukanera arenaku said...

Thanks, Shaz for the review. Just to check with u, Restu and Kiblatku, are these songs composed by Azlan too or he only producing them?

Unknown said...

im sooo gonna get this album...

Mohd Yusof said...

Shaz, i suka sgt2 album Anuar Zain tu. Semua 10 lagu dia mmg worth listening, especially track No.1,2,3,4,6. Track No.4 very d retro ala 70s... meletupas! Sooo worth it dia gunakan khidmat composer/producer dr seberang. Nampak jauh berbeza berbanding hasil karya composer/producer kita. I call it a super album!

dieselfreak said...

Miron, The both tracks are composed and produced by Azlan