Nidhi Taparia

Fair warning: If you are looking for the magic of their first album, you might be a little disappointed.

But Hariharan and Leslie Lewis (of Colonial Cousins) create enough rhythm and rhyme to make Aatma easy on your ear.

The first track, The guiding star begins on the note they left off in their first album: Similar sounding harps, mandals and kanjaris along with an interesting mix of Hindi and English lyrics.

Adding depth to the song are Hariharan's resounding alaaps in the background, which makes this song easy listening. Just right to soothe you at night and well into the hours of the morning.

Mata pita shifts into a slightly faster tempo -- quite a breakaway from the first song. But what makes this otherwise ordinary song of filial devotion pleasant are the sounds of the Irish flute as well as the other instruments.

Trying to marry pop'ish' sounds with the age-old classical bols of the tarana, Dheem dheem dhirena is not an experiment that works. Thanks to the rather loud electric guitar, this one jars a little after the slow -- and melodious -- rhythm and rhyme of the earlier two.

Dil mein tu is also all about rock meeting raga. Interesting in parts, this one has Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt playing the Mohan Veena to beautiful effect with Hariharan's bols adding to the effect. One word of dissonance, though -- Leslie overdoes the rock bit here.

Then comes the almost lullaby, I love you. You can't help but think that the placement of songs is a tad awry -- what with the two quick tempo songs.

But then again, this one has Hariharan and Leslie at their best -- at low pitches, their notes redefine the love ballad with a soulful melody interspersed with chimes, shakers and the kanjari.

One thing you can count on Leslie Lewis and Hariharan is their use of eclectic instruments. Sri Rama has a bluesy and jazz feel to it enhanced by the congas, shakers and the alto flute. The blend between traditional lyrics and melody is interesting and worth a hear.

But then, after you listen to Kay zhala, you are tempted to ask the duo the same. This sudden folksy mix mars the whole mood that this two create earlier.

And the next song, Turn around also displays a fair amount of tempo. The instrumentation, however, at some places takes your breath away, especially with the ghungroos, duff, shakers and kanjaris blending harmoniously with Hariharan's vocals.

Sundar balma is truly the perfect song to end the album with. It is Hariharan and Leslie Lewis at their best. This fusion song oozes sensuality and hits just the right note of a lover in waiting, echoing the pain and the pathos.

All in all, an album worth a listen.