Nader - “Zendegie Aroosaki”

IranGaam (Iran)
2004 (1382)

As you might have noticed by now, the domestic league of Iranian SOUND-ALIKEs is no longer consisted of only imitators of the pre-rev. artists, but also artists who’ve strangely enough decided to imitate younger and relatively fresher faces! Another contestant in this particular line of sound-alikes is Nader Meschi, who does not only attempt to imitate MANSOUR, but he has officially declared him as his sole source of influence and role-model! Working with Nader on the material of the album entitled “Zendegie Aroosaki”, are Babak Sahraee, Pedram Keshtkar, Vahid Meschi, Nima Sarrafi Mehr, Mohammad Reza Habibi, Taraneh Mokarram and last but not least Yaghma Golroee. The album features 9 tracks and is released on IranGam.

“Zendegie Aroosaki (Nazanin)” opens the album as a typical Mansour-ian song with a clean hook and DISCO/NRG-etic jargon! Even though Nader’s vocal manoeuvres and the lines make it impossible NOT TO draw parallels to Mansour’s own ”Nazanin”, this song has its own independent attractions!

Next comes another lovely track with its OWN unique features. Entitled “Barbie”, referring to the popular DOLL, the second track holds lovely 80s-inspired and non-Iranian sound elements imbedded in a familiar setting. The song even features a PERSIAN RAP-segment a la BLACK CATS! I love the performance of the male-choir. A VERY interesting arrangement overall.

Ever imagined Mansour in a total ARABESQUE setting? NO? Well, Nader’s “Naamehrabooun” shows us that it maybe isn’t a bad idea, after all! The song builds naturally on the Mansour-sound, but also the BLACK CATS-influences are present here! Specially in the choir-segment.

“Ghasam” arrives in order to open a NEW and different chapter in this album! From now on, the Mansour-influences will be kept to a minimum! There are still references left in Nader’s vocal-styling, but on a larger scale it represents Nader’s OWN flavour. And let me tell you that this is a fabulous track with a FRANCO-/CONTINENTAL DISCO sound and an amazing female-choir! In fact, EVERYTHING about this track is FLAWLESS! OLD-SCHOOL, yet so FRESH! I LOVE IT! Pedram Keshtkar truly impressed me with this GEM of his!

The second ÜBER-HIT of this album is “Hishki Mesle Man Nemishe”. A smooth ballad soon turning into a DREAM HOUSE inspired fare with the late 80s/early 90s SPANISH FLY FUNK spices! Just like in the previous song, its sister-track, everything about this song is FLAWLESS!

“Harfaye Aasheghoune” opens JAZZYy and ROCKy, but elevates soon into a 6/8 track in the BLACK CATS/Pyruz fashion. In fact the BLACK CATS-influences are stronger than any other influence in this track!

To remind us of Nader‘s love for Mansour arrives “Yeki Boud, Yeki Naboud”, a song with a title identical to Mansour’s own song! BUT! That’s about only thing these two songs have in common! Since Nader’s seventh track is a mid-tempo POP-ROCK song with the DREAMY/HARMONY flavour of the mid 80s. The song features one of the album’s many female talents as the background singer with an exceptional performance! Another reminder of the quality of talent that is getting its wings folded and cased by the harsh domestic restrictions!

“Ghoole Biyaabouni” opens as a BLACK CATS-song with its typical “fairytale” theme and smooth melody lines. The lyrics of this song is provided by Yaghma Golroee, whose latest creations have showed themselves weaker than the quality we usually expect from this man! Specially since his efforts in Siavash Ghomayshi’s “Bisarzamintar az Baad”!

It’s so great to see that at least the Iran-based industry has understood what a REMIX is! And while the LA-based industry keeps feeding us with meaningless album-filling medleys, the latest offerings from Iran have featured REMIX-medleys of a great calibre! Nader‘s “MIX” is yet another example of HOW innovative and creative a medley can actually get! Those who loved the strong performance of the female background singer in “Yeki Boud, Yeki Naboud” should feast their ears on this one, where she gets to shine!

Musically is “Zendegie Aroosaki” a VERY STRONG album, with clean compositions and catchy arrangements. The HIT-factor is high and would have been MUCH higher IF ONLY Nader hadn’t been such a devoted sound-alike! His lovely and powerful voice too tumbles upon the resemblances! The music IS somewhat Mansour-ian, but with a slightly different twist. A very, very interesting and potent twist as a matter of fact! Perhaps even FRESHER and stronger than Mansour’s own latest albums!? A twits unfortunately not enough emphasised to cut it free from the unavoidable Mansour-references. Well I’m not even sure if Nader would have wanted it any other way, after all he has consciously choosed to be a Mansour sound-alike! Hasn’t he?! Sound-alike or not, Nader’s “Zendegie Aroosaki” is an album recommended to the fans of QUALITY POP/DANCE-music, …fans of Mansour …and even Mansour HIMSELF!

Note: thanks to my dear friend Shahab.