Rahim Shah's ninth album has a few misses, but mostly what could be the makings of hits. Maa'ma Dey marches to its own dhol, harmonium and shehnai.

To be absolutely honest; I have always been partial to Rahim Shah, from the time he sang the beseeching "Ghum" in 2001 to the last video of his I saw on TV: the catchy pop ditty "Khanum Rangi". Rahim Shah does not go overboard experimenting with his music; be it the genre or the message he tries to put across to his listeners. But the steadiness with which he has been building his music towards commercial viability is sincere; and that is what is so appealing about both this artist and his work. Rahim Shah"s latest album Maa"ma DeyÉ (which if I am counting correctly is his ninth) features songs in both Pashto and Urdu, a break from the neatness with which he split his previous eight albums into four Urdu and four Pashto albums. Maa"ma Dey plays not just with the idea of mixing a few languages into one mix, but also the different musical styles Rahim Shah"s official website says he is most interested in: film, folk and pop.

The song itself is about a maama (maternal uncle) getting married and his nephews wishing him health, wealth and happiness. And though I am not familiar with the Pashto language at all and in fact had to convince the only Pashto-speaking man I know to even understand the little bit I could - I hold my first opinion of "Maa"ma Dey" as the truest one; it is a song that will engage you with its tune, which belongs to the family of music you hear at mehndis and just cannot shake out of your system for a while. Which is exactly why the sultry sounds of a heavy orchestra in the next track "Boondh" seem oppressive. Even the opening words Mit gaye hum, sar-e-bazaar mein/ Lut gaye hum, sar-e-bazaar mein, carry strains of serious heartache within them. Though very much in the vein of "Ghum", somehow "Boondh" doesn"t strike that certain chord, the one that makes you like songs, regardless of their critical worth. At least not with myself, Mein boondh boondh hua aise hi jalne ko/ Taras raha tha mein tu tum se hi milney ko, might be more someone else"s cup of tea perhaps. The whole composition is very dramatic though; very filmi, if I may. And I can"t help but think that with a better producer, Rahim Shah can completely harness and tame this flair for passionate ballads that he seems to have and is keen on.

Next up is "Orh Dey." It has this very techno, very confused sound to it. The kind you associate with disco lights on wagons, which were a dying breed of public transport in the "80s. "Orh," in Pashto means fire, and Rahim Shah is singing about being surrounded by flames. The song is rather in the same category as "Boondh," though with a more dizzying beat.

"Aansoo" is a complete 180 from "Orh Dey". Although by now I think I am on the road to understanding Rahim Shah"s aspirations as a singer a little more. He loves the folksy stuff, but I think he believes his true future lies in playback singing. "Aansoo" opens with an unidentified woman humming along to soft piano. The song is a sad one. Aansoowon se mere dil ko kyun bhar dia?/ Mera sub jal gaya/ Tu ne kya kar diya, laments Rahim Shah, as the lady I wish he had named on his album credits hums away a little shrilly in the background. "Aansoo" takes me way back into the "90s Ð Bollywood in the early "90s to be precise. Remember all those films where Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik would be surprise guests at a party who would sing a duet? And all the while that they would sing, the hero would stare morosely at the heroine, who was with the guy we know she should so not end up with. The point being, Rahim Shah probably grew up watching a lot of those films, and one cannot say the practice was one that went to waste.

Channa Ve Channa" sounds irritatingly familiar. So of course I Youtube it right away. Yep, there it is, in its Pakistani Pop and Bollywood avatar. Both videos make me half-cry/ half-laugh. The Bollywood version has a pork-bellied Jimmy Shergill lounging about on a chaise in the ocean while some dusky lady dances around him. The local version is the one that had me completely flummoxed in the year "07, when I saw Aaminah Haq preen away as a photographer"s heart"s desire in the video. I am sad to report that the new album version cannot hold a remixed candle to the solid beats of the "Channa" of yore.

"Janjh" is a Punjabi number, alive with the sound of shehnai, which one supposes is befitting as Rahim Shah is singing about a baraat (wedding party). The music veers between an Arabic sounding harmonica, piercing shehnai, what sounds like a single appearance of electric guitar, and once again, rap. Why Rahim Shah? You have a lovely voice and your music might not be to a lot of people"s taste, but to your fans, you are the best thing since compact discs. don"t think you need to rely on gimmicky English bits to make your songs more popular. The rap trend continues in "Jiya Jiya"; a pleasant enough romantic tune, upbeat but interspersed with a woman singing in English, some Hindi pop style English rap and a voice that sounds like Amitabh Bachchan talking through the song.

Maa"ma Dey springs with an enthusiastic bang but ends slightly half-heartedly. Rahim Shah gets a bit preachy on "Hum Aik Hain", which begins with verses from Iqbal"s poem "Lab pe aati hai". Then it sort of goes into the question Kya hum aik hain? If it sounded like Rahim Shah was "feeling" the song as much as one would say he was "Maa"ma Dey" or even "Jiya Jiya", it might have been a success; but "Hum Aik Hain" is a little flat. "Tanhai", the last track on the album is in the tradition of "Ghum", a heartbroken, pleading sort of song.

Which brings me to the best bit "Ghum" is reworked and re-sung in intermittent Pashto and Urdu and while the result isn"t the raw emotion of the original; its nice to hear it nonetheless. Maybe just once. Maa"ma Dey... is kind of heavy on the whole techno thing. Rahim Shah clearly loves what he does and perhaps should opt for someone a little more music savvy to produce his next album. Perhaps someone like Rohail Hyatt, who lent Rahat Fateh Ali Khan"s, tunes in Charkha delicate layer upon layer of sound. An effect that most brought out RFAK"s strong vocals and mostly folk compositions, without making either sound cheesy or compromised.

Rahim Shah has always been a singer who entertains and while many might shy away from Maa"ma Dey... for those of you who claim to have an "eclectic taste" in music, Maa"ma Dey... might be the perfect local gem to add to your dossier of diversity.