Latest Malay mp3: August 2008

Malique, as a musician is a perfectionist in every sense of the word. This can be seen in the Too Phat recordings and I have personally witnessed the man’s work ethic. Therefore, it comes to no surprise that when he decided to make a solo album, it would result in something monumental no less.

This two disc album contains 20 tracks and features Malique touching on topics ranging from love, life, Kuala Lumpur and everything close to his heart. The first track released to the public, Kau Yang Punya is a definite radio winner and I hear it is getting mad radio play in Indonesia. Another standout track is Mantera Beradu featuring the legendary M. Nasir. I feel M. Nasir did not compromise his style to fit with a hip-hop vibe, and the result was a perfect mix of hip-hop and traditional malay folk music. The album’s namesake track, OK, which features Cat Fabuloso, and KL Streets featuring Lah are also notable songs.

I personally enjoyed Pergi Jauh and Layu. This album is generally defined by the honesty of its lyrics, the smooth delivery and clever wordplay so representative of Malique and the simplicity of the message in each track. Also, many talented vocalists lent their gifts to this albums production i.e. Elvira, Najwa, Zaf and Lah.

There’s no need to hesitate. OK is definitely better than OK.

Track List:

Disc 1

01. Diam
02. Assalamualaikum
03. Mantera Beradu featuring M. Nasir
04. OK featuring Cat Fabuloso
05. Rasta Say
06. VVS1 featuring Chi Qa
07. Kau Yang Punya featuring Najwa
08. Pergi Jauh featuring Elvira
09. Jom Cerita Hantu
10. Khayal

Disc 2

01. Masih Khayal (Bangun) featuring Zaf
02. Dalam Aku Ada Hantu
03. Rahsia
04. Layu
05. Aku Di Kuala Lumpur
06. KL Streets featuring Lah
07. OK (Chill Money Remix) featuring DJ Fuzz
08. OK (Go DJ Remix) featuring Young Arif of KLG Sqwad
09. Kau Yang Punya (5 Mic Remix) featuring Najwa, Zaf, Lah and Elvira
10. Diam

Download :

Mentera Beradu

Full Album 2

Lifehouse - Full Album - Who We Are 2007

Stylistically, Who We Are isn't much different from their previous chapters. The project's initial single, "First Time," is an upbeat love song, sort of a "'Hanging By A Moment' meets 'Spin'" with more of a distinct romantic angle like "You And Me." The album's opener "Disarray" is a Lifehouse signature melancholy, guitar-driven anthem about pushing through uncertainty with a hopeful, upbeat chorus. Most of the tracks on Who We Are once again deal with brokenness and relationships, with a great deal of ambiguity. While "Learn You Inside Out" is a wonderful love ballad Wade most likely penned for his wife, songs like the strangely bitter but nicely aggressive "The Joke" and "Bridges," a tragic rock anthem that puts the blame on both parties involved in a love lost, are likely to leave the listener interested in discovering from where these songs were spawned. Spiritual themes run amuck as cryptically as they do clearly, with "Make Me Over" serving as a possible cry for God to create something new within the songwriter, and the closer, "Storm," a vivid picture of finding rescue in the arms of Jesus during the storms of life ("If I could just see you / everything would be all right / If I'd see you / This darkness would turn to light / And I will walk on water / And you will catch me if I fall / And I will get lost in your eyes").

While Who We Are is arguably more of the same for Lifehouse, there is plenty of accented new flavors among the tracks to keep things fresh and interesting. From a more gravelly vocal delivery from Wade on "The Joke," the power ballad "Whatever It Takes," the slight throwback feel of "Easier To Be," or the moody less-is-more finale, "Storm," Who We Are portrays enough growth in songwriting and artistry to keep Lifehouse a band well worth following.

Download - Full Album (Who We Are 2007)