The most obvious impression of Prateek Kuhad is its simplicity. There is no intermingling of diverse genres, no frills, no facades and that gives it an inexplicable serenity. Not to deny the fact that there are quite varied sub genres at play, but the handling of it has been done very skillfully the result is a very homogenous mixture of music. It is simple. A little too simple for my taste, but there is a difference between simplicity and naivety. From no angle is it naïve. There is a profundity in his music, a truth often heard but not conveyed so well. The magic lies in his ability to condense myriad, sometimes contrasting feelings into songs of very short durations. Essentially, his songs reflect the varied moods of a distraught lover or a person lost in retrospective reflections of his own life. This theme therefore can appeal to a mass audience that experiences such emotions or moments of intensity in their own individual lives.
The E.P has only three songs, SOMETHING WRONG, RUBBER BITS and A SHOT OF ALCOHOL but these three songs encompass all the beliefs and ideals of the artist. SOMETHING WRONG starts with the impression of a person lost in the search of his own identity and ends on the note of acceptance of who he really is. Musically, the song is very simple. It is purely acoustic and has a very rustic feel to it. Its freshness and crispness are the things that would keep one listening to it over and over again. But the sparing and economical use of instruments makes it lack a little bit of panache. But still the ability of the artist to compose anything should not be questioned. Very rarely have I heard an acoustic song so beautifully composed. The song RUBBER BITS reminds me of a William Blake poem. A very innocent song, but one cannot possibly fathom the different layers of meanings it can have. It has a very funny, cute appeal to it. Honestly, I didn’t even feel like criticizing it at all! Simple guitaring, adorable lyrics and delightful tunes makes it a very lovable song indeed. The last song of the E.P and perhaps the best according to me was A SHOT OF ALCOHOL. A very good attempt at writing a love song, but I guess it is something more than just a simple love song. An influence of John Mayer seems a little predominant and it also mirrors a little bit of the Jack Johnson type of music. There’s a strong emotional undercurrent running right through the song, not just in the vocal part but also the instrumental parts playing at the back. The song is definitely very short, the vocals covering barely one and a half minutes followed by a simple guitar solo, but I really enjoyed the overall effect of the song. Patches were nice and comforting and the song just fell perfectly into place.
Prateek Kuhad’s E.P is a blend of pretty diverse musical forms which has been brought together under one, concrete melodic roof. Different styles have been infused very well together and the E.P is nothing but the exposure of the different sides of the artist by means of three quite dissimilar but vital song writing techniques.
Bottom Line
A varied Jazz, Blues and Country influences have left a significant mark on the techniques used by the artist all working in his favour to produce songs which are quite phenomenal and will appeal to not just listeners but musicians too!
