Post by anastasia on Apr 27, 2010 14:54:14 GMT 7
Sabhi Saddi EP
PROMISING R&B COMEBACK FOR FORMER HIP HOP HOPEFUL
Reviewed By: Anastasia Edited By: Dragon
SABHI SADDI EP
Sabhi Saddi
Label: Julang Kemuncak
Distributor: Warner Music
(Pop/R&B)
Rating: 3/5 (* * *)
With two songs from Malaysia’s leading hit making boutique publisher Replay Music, Sabhi Saddi’s debut five track EP looks destined for a promising start. If you are not familiar with Replay, their pool of songwriters have been responsible for the many chart toppers for popular stars such as Siti Nurhaliza, Kris Dayanti, Ning Baizura, Anuar Zain, Jaclyn Victor, & Faizal Tahir among others. That is why it was no surprise to find upcoming R&B singer Sabhi cleverly electing to go with “Gemerlapan” & “Nadiku” from composer Omar Khan, with lyrics from Zel Hadauan. Also included in the 25 year old Sabahan’s offering is songwriter cum MITI diplomatic officer, Arizal Thani’s piano driven, melancholic “Jalan Pulang”, with lyrics by Arizal & Zehra Zambri. The additional two songs in the EP are minus ones.
The EP opens with Sabhi doing justice to “Gemerlapan”, a funky R&B ditty that has a thumping down beat, with his frothy vocals, that is as tasty as having a cup of warm chocolate. Right as you are getting into the groove of things and are about to bounce off the sofa, the song comes to its lightly auto-tuned end. Wish it would have lasted another minute or so, but I am certain the track will be a favourite.
On the back of that comes “Nadiku”, a slow, smoldering ballad that was used as the theme song for popular local TV drama Tari Tirana. Sabhi displays tinges of Anuar Zain as he eloquently tackles this difficult piece with his connect by numbers phrasing. Although he is elegant on the low notes and builds up the song to its climax, it is painfully obvious that he has reached the limits of his upper register on the high notes, and just manages to bring it home without breaking up (probably with a little studio magic for help). A live rendition will probably see him struggling at best. Perhaps he needs to spend a little more time with his former vocal trainer, Siti Hajar, to firm up his range, or take on less taxing numbers instead. Nevertheless, “Nadiku” will be a hit, and is already getting heavy rotation on air.
“Jalan Pulang” is a beautiful & reflective number performed efficiently by the former hip hop group Es D Co member, but suffers mildly from an over bright arrangement. I found the piano a little too bold, which forces Sabhi to be less delicate than he could have been which would have made the song a lot more uplifting & tender, and cause listeners to melt.
The two bonus minus one tracks are a nice addition for the ones who want to learn the songs or just sing along (which I am sure many will), but I would have preferred more songs, as Sabhi does show promise and I did enjoy the EP overall, and would have loved to hear more.
More on Sabhi Saddi at: www.facebook.com/sabhisaddi
PROMISING R&B COMEBACK FOR FORMER HIP HOP HOPEFUL
Reviewed By: Anastasia Edited By: Dragon
SABHI SADDI EP
Sabhi Saddi
Label: Julang Kemuncak
Distributor: Warner Music
(Pop/R&B)
Rating: 3/5 (* * *)
With two songs from Malaysia’s leading hit making boutique publisher Replay Music, Sabhi Saddi’s debut five track EP looks destined for a promising start. If you are not familiar with Replay, their pool of songwriters have been responsible for the many chart toppers for popular stars such as Siti Nurhaliza, Kris Dayanti, Ning Baizura, Anuar Zain, Jaclyn Victor, & Faizal Tahir among others. That is why it was no surprise to find upcoming R&B singer Sabhi cleverly electing to go with “Gemerlapan” & “Nadiku” from composer Omar Khan, with lyrics from Zel Hadauan. Also included in the 25 year old Sabahan’s offering is songwriter cum MITI diplomatic officer, Arizal Thani’s piano driven, melancholic “Jalan Pulang”, with lyrics by Arizal & Zehra Zambri. The additional two songs in the EP are minus ones.
The EP opens with Sabhi doing justice to “Gemerlapan”, a funky R&B ditty that has a thumping down beat, with his frothy vocals, that is as tasty as having a cup of warm chocolate. Right as you are getting into the groove of things and are about to bounce off the sofa, the song comes to its lightly auto-tuned end. Wish it would have lasted another minute or so, but I am certain the track will be a favourite.
On the back of that comes “Nadiku”, a slow, smoldering ballad that was used as the theme song for popular local TV drama Tari Tirana. Sabhi displays tinges of Anuar Zain as he eloquently tackles this difficult piece with his connect by numbers phrasing. Although he is elegant on the low notes and builds up the song to its climax, it is painfully obvious that he has reached the limits of his upper register on the high notes, and just manages to bring it home without breaking up (probably with a little studio magic for help). A live rendition will probably see him struggling at best. Perhaps he needs to spend a little more time with his former vocal trainer, Siti Hajar, to firm up his range, or take on less taxing numbers instead. Nevertheless, “Nadiku” will be a hit, and is already getting heavy rotation on air.
“Jalan Pulang” is a beautiful & reflective number performed efficiently by the former hip hop group Es D Co member, but suffers mildly from an over bright arrangement. I found the piano a little too bold, which forces Sabhi to be less delicate than he could have been which would have made the song a lot more uplifting & tender, and cause listeners to melt.
The two bonus minus one tracks are a nice addition for the ones who want to learn the songs or just sing along (which I am sure many will), but I would have preferred more songs, as Sabhi does show promise and I did enjoy the EP overall, and would have loved to hear more.
More on Sabhi Saddi at: www.facebook.com/sabhisaddi