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raghav..................................................
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RAGHAV MATHUR
Canada born singer/songwriter - storming the world with CAN'T GET ENOUGH
from his International charts topper music album "Raghav-Storyteller"
SHORT NOTE ON RAGHAV (SINGER)
Raghav (born Raghav Mathur, April 2 1981) is a Canadian R&B singer, noted for his use of Hindi lyrics and influences from Indian music. His family comes from Uttarpradesh, India; but Raghav was born in Toronto and grew up in Calgary. Raghav studied Indian classical music with Guru Nishi Kant Bali and later was educated at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. He joined the R&B-band 11/7 and met Jamaican producers Sly & Robbie and British producer Mushtaq who produced parts of his debut solo album, "Storyteller". Raghav received a MOBO award for his collaboration with 2Play.
Singles Raghav has released in the UK are:
So Confused
Cant get enough
It cant be right
Lets work it out
Angel eyes releasing in the year 2005
Raghav's
Storyteller
Album Reviews 
Asian R&B has been bobbing on the surface of the mainstream for over twelve months now, and we are finally gifted with an album from one of our superstars. After a hundred and one melas and PA's, eight weeks in the mainstream top ten, and leaving Jay Sean in his tracks, the man like Raghav Mathur has taken the role of 'Storyteller' for his debut album which looks to place a big desi pin in the music map.
Raghav asserts that all the songs on the album are about his life and this adds a great personal effect to the record, and enforces his role as 'Storyteller'. Indeed, every song has a theme and tale to tell, which is a breath of fresh air from the folk boliyan we get in Panjabi music, which are always along the same lines. It must be said that nearly everything on the album is about Mr Mathur and his many girls (he's a player y'know!) but you must consider that the majority of his fan base want to marry him, and they just can't get enough (sad pun) of him talking about love.
Indeed, as well as Raghav being quite a poet, there is some great music on the album and its much more than the guy the girls love smiling at them through the music. There's great variety with tunes to dance to and others to go to sleep to, so Sly & Robbie and Mushtaq have done a great job expanding the fan base to universal quarters.
When you open the CD, the first word that'll come into your head is 'professional'. Glossy paper and a full 9-page inlay booklet is a total contrast to the page of shouts, plug for another album and one picture of the artist that we get on most desi CDs. Inside the booklet is a total transcription of the lyrics (including all the Hindi ones) for all the karaoke heads like Irfan.
We get underway with 'Let's Work It Out', the latest single that unfortunately just missed the top ten a fortnight ago. Opening with the Hindi sample from 'Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar' that is sung by Asha Bhosle from the movie C.I.D, it's a steady paced R&B track, which demonstrates all of Raghav's vocal talents and features Jahaziel on the MC'ing tip.
A piano roll opens track two, 'No I', and you're thinking its Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River', but then the beat comes in and it turns into a great track. Clever emotive lyrics from Raghav and a memorable bridge and chorus make you sway to this song about jealousy and adultery.
Track three has more of an Asian influence with a qawali type undertone; 'No No' is another strong track at the start of the album. It tails with Raghav singing a Hindi verse to great effect before the final chorus.
Number four is 'So Confused', the debut track that sent Raghav flying up the charts and into the limelight. The album edition still has the great 2Play production but Jucxi Ranks isn't there, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We all know this is a tune, so much so that it was nominated for the Best Collaboration at the Mobos this year.
Things get even better with track five, 'Bad, Bad, Bad'. A song about hunting for kurrian, there's an Asian melody and beat, and Raghav is on top form. Lyrically sublime, its got great imagery and is one of the highlights of an already great album. There's another Bollywood sample on this time from a track called 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha' sung by Kumar Sanu from the film soundtrack to '1942 A Love Story'.
Track six is a special one. 'Come On' is a faultless slow jam, with a beautiful chord melody throughout. Describing the stresses of his job in the present tense, it's a great insight to the obstacles faced by an artist, as it's a theme that's not generally talked about in music. But more importantly, Raghav's given me a great chat up line: "My heaven on earth is in your eyes"…girls in Birmingham beware!! That's not to lower the tone, this is a great track which I cannot fault at all.
The tempo picks up for number seven, called 'Weakness'. A more punchy tune about getting freaky with a hot girl, its typical modern R&B at high quality. Decent production and vocals make this another good tune.
'Winter In My Mind' is a totally different flex, with jazz riffs replacing the R&B edge to astounding effect. Almost anti-desi, in how different it is to the usual stuff we talk about, you can feel the fresh air on your face to this very mature track. More great imagery and poetry in the chorus alongside the jazzy grooves mean you can sit down and listen or get grinding to this one.
Raghav rediscovers his Asian roots for track nine, another special track. 'Ain't Nobody' is an up-tempo Asian R&B with another strong performance from Raghav, who starts in English and does a trademark Hindi verse before the final chorus. You've got to rate anyone who performs in two languages, and Raghav does so with excellent effect, switching between tongues without even slipping a syllable.
His debut solo single is track 10, and 'Can't Get Enough' is as fresh on desi dance floors as it was earlier this year. We all know this one don't we?
'Angel Eyes' follows, which has a good dancehall splurt with a sultry chorus over the 'Murder She Wrote' beat. In my opinion, this is a remix of 'Teri Baaton', featuring and Frankey Maxx giving a heavier Caribbean feel. You want to move to this record and Raghav really sounds like he enjoyed doing this track.
The reggae beats continue with 'Sooner Or Later', which is slower than the previous track but still has the same strong hook. MC Kardinal Offishall adds flows to give a different edge from Raghav, but if you're not a dancehall aficionado you won't dig this track.
We really slow down for number thirteen, which has echoes of the earlier jazz track. 'Baby I'm Amazed' isn't scintillating to be honest with you. It's one of two tracks produced by Bluey of Incognito.
The album officially ends on track 14, 'Another Bad Goodbye' which is a bit of a demoralising way to end an album, lol (thank god for the bonus tracks!!). This has got Mariah Carey written all over it, from the piano to the heavy drum rolls and even the rhythms in the vocals. It's all right though; Raghav deserves credit for pulling off this type of track.
The two bonus tracks are great - because they're pure Asian. 'Chodh Diya' is the first and it opens with a sample sounding very similar to the one, which featured in 'Get Ur Freak On'. It's up-tempo, got great rhythms and I reckon would've got more airplay had the second bonus track not been so wicked.
'Teri Baaton' was the lost track as far as Asian music fans were concerned when Raghav came out. Using the 'Murda She Wrote' beat and with lyrics written by his mother (!), this track blows up clubs and everyone knows the chorus despite it only ever appearing on the Can't Get Enough single before now. I must confess that when this CD dropped on my desk I skipped straight to this tune as its just wicked.
Music Week magazine said that this album is 'packed with potential hits', and they're not wrong. The R&B flavour is evident throughout the 16 tracks, but with forays in and out of reggae, Bollywood and jazz there's a good variety of quality music on there. Production-wise you've got a whole host of top quality producers such as Mushtaq, Sly & Robbie, Hakon Lundby, Bluey of Incognito & Luke Smith which give it a different flavour throughout. Then, you've got some excellent poetic lyrics from Raghav and its just got hit written all over it. 'Storyteller' gets a big 9 out of 10 so go to a mainstream store (i.e. HMV or Virgin) to make sure that our boy Raghav makes the top 5 in the album charts!!
THE ALBUM RELEASED BY RAGHAV :-
STORYTELLER.
THIS ALBUM CONTAINS 17 SONGS.
LET'S WORK IT OUT (FEAT.JAHAZIEL)
wriitten by R.mathur/ mushtaq/ o.p.nayyar/ majrooh/ sultanpuri/ j.elliot.
produced by mushtaq for mushtaq productions Ltd.
Reprensented by set it off entertainment.
e-mail :- steve@sioentertainment.com.
Published by copyright control/ famous music / saregama/ India LTD.All instruments and programming by mushtaq.
Recorded @ mush's place.Recording engineer:James dewbekin. All vocals :raghav mathur. Contains a sample from "leke phela phela pyar" by asha bhosle.shamshad begum & Mohammad rafi frm film "C.I.D" wriiten by: O.p Nayyar and majrroh sultanpuri under license from saregama India limited.
Rap by jahaziel who appears courtesy of solid rock/ignorants Entertainment - management : www.bcchannel.co.uk
NO I
Wriitten by R.mathur/H.lundby.Produced by hakon lundby for hawkeye productions. Published by copyright control. Recorded @hawks's nest. Liverpool,England.
Additional vocals recorded @monroe:Mark ralph and roger benou.
All vocals: Raghav Mathur. Drums ,strings , & keys:hakon lundby.Additional drums : Mark ralph. Mixed at eden studios,london . mix engineer : mark ralph. Assistant engineers : dario dendi.
NO NO
written by R.mathur/mushtaq/N.mathur. produced by mustaq for mushtaq productions Ltd.
Published by copyright control/ famous music / saregama/ India LTD.All instruments and programming by mushtaq.
Reprensented by set it off entertainment. Recorded @ mush's place.Recording engineer:James dewbekin. All vocals : Raghav Mathur. Mix engineer : Ali staton.
SO CONFUSED
wriiten b R.mathur / d.campbell/. W.johnson.produced by livingstone brown for livingstone I presume productions.
published by abood music .Ltd. All instruments & programming by livingstone brown. Vocals : Raghav mathur.
BAD,BAD,BAD
Written by R.mathur /mushtaq/n.mathur.Produced by produced by mushtaq for mushtaq productions Ltd.
Reprensented by set it off entertainment.
Published by copyright control/ famous music / saregama/ India LTD. Contains a sample frm "ek ladki ko dekha" by kumar sanu written by R.d.burman and javed akhtar, from the film "1942 a love story " under Locense frm saregama India limited.All instruments and programming by mushtaq.
Recorded @ mush's place.Recording engineer:James dewbekin.All vocals :raghav mathur. Mix engineer : ali staton.
C'MON
wriitten by R.mathur/H.lundby.produced by hakon lunby for hawkeye productions. Publihsed by by . Copyright control Co-produced by sly & robbie. Recorded @hawks's nest. Liverpool,England and eden studios ,london,england.Additional vocals recorded by Mark ralph and roger benou at monroe studios , london, england. All vocals: Raghav Mathur. Drums ,strings , & keys:hakon lundby. Drums : sly dunbar. Bass: robbie shakespeare.Guitar and additional programming : Mark ralph.Mix Engineer: Mark ralph. Assitant Engineer : dario dendi.
WEAKNESS
wriitten by R.mathur/H.lundby.produced by hakon lunby for hawkeye productions. Published by copyright control. Recorded @hawks's birdcage.Olso. Norway.
Vocals recorded by neil broadband @ masters Recording studio calgary,canada. Vocals: Raghav mathur.Additional Female vocals recorded by Mark ralph @ eden studios,london,England. All instruments played by hakon lundby. Female backing Vocals : aisha. Mixed @ eden studios, London, England. Mix engineer : mark ralph. Assistant engineers : dario dendi.
WINTER IN MY MIND
written by R.mathur / J-p. maunick. Produced by bluey of incognito. Produced by copyright control /Global chrysalis. Recorded and mixed by venmo and simon cotsworth. All vocals:raghav mathur. Venom:drm programming.Jim hunt: saxophone. Graeme Flowers : guitars. Fender bass and keyboards.
AIN'T NOBODY
wriitten by R.mathur/ mushtaq/ R.jain.produced by mushtaq for mushtaq productions Ltd.
Reprensented by set it off entertainment.
Published by copyright control/ famous music. All instruments and programming by mushtaq.
Recorded @ mush's place.Recording engineer:James dewbekin. All vocals :raghav mathur. All vocals :raghav mathur. Mix engineer : ali staton.
CAN'T GET ENOUGH (FEAT.ICEBERG SLIMM)
written by R.mathur ? D.dyer.
produced by mustaq for mushtaq productions Ltd.
Reprensented by set it off entertainment.
Published by copyright control/ famous music / saregama/ India LTD.
Rap by Iceberg slimm who appears courtesy of urban Star records ? Frojak Entertainment.
Contains a sample from ' kabhi aar kabhi paar " wriiten by O.p nayyar & majrooh sultanouri.performed by shamshad begum.
under license from saregama India limited. All instruments and programming by mushtaq.
Recorded @ mush's place.Recording engineer: Marcellus fernandes using the M.A.R.C process.
ANGEL EYES (FEAT.JUCXI & FRANKEY MAXX)
written by R.mathur/N.mahtur / J.taylor / E.bonner/ L.wills/s.dunbar/f.maxwell/R.coward.produced by sly and robbie for taxi productions.Additional production by Raghav mathur.
Published by copyright control/blue mountain music /Fairwood music / universal songs of polygram international, Inc/ txat,Inc. / two star publishing / BMG music publishing Ltd.. All vocals: raghav mathur. juxci is exclusively represented by set it off Entertainment. frankey maxx is exclusively represented by nyrone persaud.
Drums:sly dunbar.bass:Robbie Shakespeare.Guitar: Lloyd "gitsy" Willis. Tabla: Nilesh gulhane.Angel eyes contains elements of "murder she wrote" by chaka demus * pliers. Written and composed by dunbar / willis/ bonner/ taylor. Published by copyright control/ blue mountain music/ Universal songs of polygram Internatinal.Inc / Ixat.Inc. / two star publishing / BBMG music publishing Ltd. Used by permission. All rights reserved . Angel eyes also contains elements of "Teri baaton" by raghav.
Written and composed by R.mathur /N.mathur/ dunbar / willis/ bonner / taylor published by copyright control/ blue mountain music Universal songs of polygram international, Inc.//ixat music,Inc./ Two star publishing / BMG music publishing Ltd. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Recorded and mixed at MSM studios , london,England. Engineer : mike stevens and livingstone brown.
SOONER OR LATER (FEAT.KARDINAL OFFISHALL)
Wriitten by R.mathur/H.lundby/ J. Harrow.Produced by hakon lundby for hawkeye productions.
Co-Produced by sly & robbie.Published by copyright control / one man music-warner chaooell.Recorded @ hawks's nest. Liverpool,England. vocals recorded by Mark ralph and roger benou @ monroe studios london,England. Rap by kardinal offishall who appears courtesy of black jays. Management : Mr morgan for M3 Entertainment. All vocals by:Raghav Mathur. stings & keys : hakon lundby. Additional keys : carlton "bubbler" Ogilvie. Drums : sly dunbar.bass:robbie shakespeare. Recorded and mixed @ eden studios,london,Engaland. Mix engineer : Mark ralph.
Assitant Engineer : dario dendi.
BABY I'M AMAZED
wriiten by R.mathur, D.Oakenfull, J_p maunick. Produced by bluey of incognito. Published by copyright chrysalis UK / global chrysalis . Recorded by ski. venom and simon cotsworth. Mixed by simon cotsworth. All vocals : Raghav mathur : keyboards +drum programming ski Oakenfull.
Drum programming " venom saxophone : jim hunt.
trumpet : graema Flowers. Trombone : nichel thompson.
Guitar : bluey . Horas arranged by nichol & bluey.
ANOTHER BAD GOODBYE
wriiten by raghav mathur / J.jorgenson/ M. sjolie. produced by luke smith for lukeduke production. Published by copyright control / global talent. bass : trevor Mckinley, piano, hammond ,strings : luke smith . drums : jerry brown .
Guitar : mark ralph. Guitar:micharl brown. Percussion : harry morgan. Recorded @ mayfair studios and eden studios and eden studios , londan , Engalnd.
All vocals by Raghav mathur. Mix engineer : mark ralph . Assitant engineer : dario dendi.
BONUS TRACKS:-
CHODH DIYA (THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE)
TERI BAATON (YOUR WORDS )
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Music phenomenon Raghav Mathur is riding the waves of success with his hit album Storyteller. Recognized worldwide, this 24-year-old legend-in-the-making is currently on his “Grand Theft Audio” tour across North America, singing his smash hits such as “Can’t Get Enough” and “Angel Eyes.” Recently, I was giv-en the opportunity to spend time with the rising star and uncover the “real” Raghav. I was amazed at what I found… By Prashanthi Musapet
From the moment he steps off of the elevator he is surrounded by fans. Along-side his tour manager Ajay, Raghav apologizes to his anticipating admirers after learning of their four hour wait for his arrival and takes time to take pictures, sign autographs, and make small talk with each and every one of them. I discover later from his fans how it was completely worth their wait.
As we sit down to chat, Raghav requests Ajay for lemons, honey, and water, used routinely in preparation for sound check just minutes away, and im-mediately offers me something to drink. As Ajay turns, Raghav begins praising his obvious friend as well as professional associate. He smiles at me and teases, “You should marry him.” Apparently, Raghav clarifies his first mission is to get his tour manager married and second to be on tour.
Music has always been a fundamental force in Raghav’s life; at the tender age of five he began singing and moved on to write his own songs at 15. Around that age he recalls his development of an “identity crisis.” Growing up with the influence of both the Eastern and Western culture, committing to one musical genre was difficult for Raghav.
Raghav explains that while growing up in Canada most of his influences were American. He shares, “I remember going to a Boys II Men concert when I was 12—that made me want to be a singer. For the past couple of years now art-ists have been successful in making a record but can't perform live. You have to see these artists live to truly feel their music; artists like Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill are better live because they put so much into their music.”
Proud of his Indian roots he adds, “There are many great things to be taken from the west.” The culture clash that initially questioned Raghav’s identity, lat-er became the source of his musical style. Fusing together R&B, country, and Indian music has enabled Raghav to retain all aspects of who he is as well as create a new style of music that appeals to a global fan base.
“I grew up loving the music, loving the culture… and I get to be who I am with it, you know…you know, I’m not a typical Bollywood artist, I’m singing R&B songs, but because of the power of our community, you know, I get to be on tour and the crowds have been great so far.”
Touring has its share of ups and downs but Raghav takes it all in stride. He remains positive about the whole experience, thrilled with all the traveling he is able to do and new people he meets along the way. Claiming lack of sleep and irregular eating patterns has taken toll on his physical appearance, he con-fesses, “I’m 15 pounds from where I want to be.” I have to disagree though; I find him enchantingly attractive and throughout the conversation, lose myself in his “Angel Eyes.”
When asked where his craziest fans were, Raghav replied, “ New York was just crazy, but to my surprise smaller places like Detroit were fun. I have a story to tell, when I went there along with Adnan Sami, I performed "Ain't Nobody;" it has a lot of gujurati beats and bhangra influence and the fans in Detroit were the only ones to actually get up and start dancing and performing garba. That was wicked fun.”
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writer Prashanti Musapet with Raghav (picture on left) and Iceberg Slim. |
Singing in various venues all over the world, his dream place to perform lies surprisingly, not in some exotic locale, but simply back home. The current North American tour has been the first opportunity for Raghav to perform on his own soil. Calgary “is like paradise,” Raghav says. His eyes twinkle as he re-flects on the place where he spent his childhood.
So sweet and innocent—yet so successful? Raghav admits, “I can sometimes be naďve to the industry.” Nevertheless, he continues to make all the right ca-reer moves. “You let other people do what they’re good at,” he explains. Back-ed by his supportive and knowledgeable manager, Nyrone Persaud, Raghav surrounds himself with a driven and an astoundingly amicable management team. His strategy has proven very successful.
Along with an overwhelming response in the U.K. and America, Raghav has created a big splash overseas with his record going five times platinum in India. Lesser acclaim has turned many stars into narcissistic monsters; however, Raghav does not seem phased by his rising stardom. He tells me he has no expectations about anything and as he continues to talk, I can’t help but be amazed at how grounded he stays.
Iceberg Slim, a rapper featured on the Storyteller album also touring with Raghav says, “The most important thing to me is working with people that are humble and [Raghav’s] the most humble person...When you work with some-one that can keep you level headed, that is great.”
Much of his sweet-natured personality can be attributed to his family. He notes his most memorable experience was his sister’s wedding which he describes as “climatic” because she was 29. Raghav also jokes of how the other parents at the wedding kept their daughters away from him because he was a struggling singer with no money. When I remarked, “they must be kicking themselves now,” he looked away shyly and replied that now they were keeping their daughters even further away—yeah right.
As Raghav continues to climb the ladder of success, he retains what he be-lieves to be his greatest strength—his honesty. Raghav has many plans for the future and within the next ten years intends to be married with “100 kids.” Out to dispel the myth he is a remixer and having opened the gate to the music industry, he’s unstoppable.
Ask him who Raghav is and he responds, “Raghav is a son, brother, and a storyteller.” As the interview comes to a close, he flashes me that “wicked” (Raghav’s signature word) smile, which steals so many young girls’ hearts and I’m reminded of his lyrics “I just can’t get enough, enough, enough.” 
Check out his sound at www.raghav.com.
For more information on the Grand Theft Audio Club Tour with Raghav ft. Bobby Friction and Nihal, check out www.grandtheftaudiousa.com. The event will promoted by Komposit Entertainment. The tour starts in D.C. June 30th, Chicago July 1st, Detroit July 2rd and NYC July 3rd.
by shweta |
