By Deborah Santamaria (Karachi, Pakistan)
Visorchona pavlear pasun sonvsarachea khuimcheai konxean!
Panaji, Feb 26: I was fortunate enough to be part of the grand release of O’luv’s much awaited Konkani audio album “Love You, Goa” at Ravindra Bhavan auditorium Margao-goa at the hands of deputy chief minister of Goa Francis D’Souza, followed by O’luv’s live power-packed performance along with charismatic Global Konkani Award winner Lavita Lobo from Mangalore and the humorous international rapper Nkenge Ross from Trinidad & Tobago.
The deputy CM said O'luv Rodriguez deserves to be appreciated and supported on two counts, one for promoting our Mai-bhas Konkani with such dedication and the other for keeping the spirit of the great legend Chris Perry alive.
This Konkani audio album “Love You, Goa” is O’luv’s debut production which comprises of 11 melodious songs. In this album O’luv has infused new styles and various elements thus elevating Konkani music, which will surely do well in Goa as well as in the international market. The musicians include Elick Vaz (keyboards/drum programming), Joaquim De Souza (tenor and soprano sax/flute), Victor Da Costa (violin/mandolin), Rupesh Naik (percussions), Ally Rodrigues (lead/rhythm/guitar) and Sergie Godhino (Bass guitar). The music and lyrics are by Elick Vaz. Recording/mixing is done at 12 Pillars Studio, Raia Goa by Velroy. The awe-inspiring album cover is designed by Francis Francisco Pereira, cover photographs by Raphael Das while other photographs by Seby D’Souza.
The title song “Love You, Goa” celebrates the very unique identity that Goa exudes and what she symbolizes for all those who love her. While "Nach’ia ami Jazz Dance" sung by the awesome trio O’luv Rodriguez, Shikha Jain and Lavita Lobo is a foot-tapping candid party song in Konkani, which will surely get one to get up and dance.
Next we have "Sandra" where this Goan lad is remorseful for making a wrong move, whereas “Zavu Kasa Mumbaila?” an awesome track by O’luv, which involves a record number of nine Indian languages as well as English for the very first time in a song, which is followed by “Un Petit Endroit”, a sentimental love song crooned in Konkani and French by O’luv Rodriguez, the music as well as the attention grabbing lyrics of this track are just fabulous. "Poun Tea Dis Tuka", a melodious lament of a goan girl who is head over heels in love sung by the gorgeous Lavita Lobo. “Girl Girl Girl”, another foot tapping track sung by the duo O’luv and Nkenge Ross is followed by “Coimbra” the evergreen Portuguese folk song crooned by O’luv. Love and romance surfaces as O’luv and Jaanvee Prabhu Arora sing "Sang Mhaka Sang".
"Score a Goal" sung by O’luv is a salute to Goa’s most popular sport, this track hails the exuberance and dedication of Goa’s footballers, when they head out to the grounds to win for their team.
In conclusion, a laudable effort by O’luv Rodriguez to give Konkani a national platform, so that Indians spread throughout the country can listen and enjoy Goa’s language, her music and her ethos. Getting in singers from other states of India like Lavita Lobo (Mangalore, Karnataka), Jaanvee Prabhu Arora (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Shikha Jain (Ranchi, Jharkhand) besides an international rapper from Trinidad & Tobago can definitely help in promoting Konkani to the other parts of India.