Search - Asha Bhosle :: Rough Guide to Asha Bhosle

Rough Guide to Bollywood Legend: Lata Mangeskar

T. Mitra | Aiken, SC United States | 06/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The rough guide to Bollywood LegendsBefore I thank World Music Network, I owe my respect to Jowi Taylor who conducts "Global Village", one-hour show on music from all over the globe. Global Village is a production of Radio Canada International. You can hear the program via Internet or if you have a short wave radio (every Sat, 7 PM to 8 PM, 13785 kHz).
Month of May was celebrated as the Asian Heritage month. In one program, Jowi honored, Asha Bhosle, a female singer from India with narratives. One of her songs was also played. There was a quiz about Asha. If anyone could answer the quiz could win three CDs offered by Jowi.
I did not have the answer for the quiz. I decided to buy them. That is when I had the chance to know World Music Network and their beautiful compilation of songs from Bollywood. I bought these CDs from Amazon.com. These CDs are produced in Great Britain. Each CD comes with a booklet nicely tucked inside the front cover of the jewel case for the CD.
This booklet is a piece of history of Bollywood's movie making and the role of fabulous play back singers. I do not recall history to be written so good, so methodic, on a movie making industry. All the songs have narrations to detail the situation, the mood.
Back cover of the jewel case has nostalgic posture photo, going back even half a century. I find another music lover and scholar, Ken Hurt, in addition to Jowi Taylor. A team of other experts has captured the vivid details about the human face behind the songs.
One not only gets the songs in a CD, but a good flavor contemporary Bollywood. This is not a typical CD, mass-produced, commercially. Price is right. You will love them, if you have any degree of passion about Indian filmy songs."