The Bombay Royale - Run Kitty Run

This is the third album from Bollywood-pop-fusion band The Bombay Royale. It was released in 2017, three years after The Island of Dr Electro.

... but we must forget about this if we are to properly appreciate Run Kitty Run. There is no Wild Stallion Mountain, there is no The River. Initially I fell into the trap of judging it by the standards of its predecessor (much like Jackson Jackson's The Fire is on the Bird vs Tools for Survival), but the album deserves to be considered free from such baggage.

Ballygunge lands like a heavy trance-like funk slap in the face, to cleanse these thoughts. Brilliant.

Then we take an abrupt turn to light-hearted pop with I Love You Love You. It is wonderfully catchy and the cute chorus of "Please make a note that I love you love you" is a highlight. Similarly, Run Kitty Run brings the feelgood times with some go-go dancing style of pop. Then later in the album, Nucky Day Nucky Dah Nucky Doo gives us a spacey pop-funk interlude, although I'm not a fan of the deliberately distorted sound. Bhediya brings more double hand-clap pop goodness, but the distorted female vocals can be a bit harsh.

Back into serious-land, The Raan of Kutch has strong prog-rock influences. Slower than Ballygange, but it takes us on a wonderful trance-state odyssey. The prog-rock feel (mixed with Bollywood, which somehow makes a brilliant combination) is also present for Zhooti Naina, which has a wonderfully sparse style. The build-up and epic ending makes Zhooti Naina a fantastic musical journey.

Mauja turns up the funk, complete with a very solid groove. Unfortunately funk isn't usually my cup of tea, so in my book it's lacking a catchy chorus to tie it together.

Robobeez. What a riff! This instantly makes the song a classic. In other news, the female vocals are beautiful and everything else perfectly plays a supporting role to deliver four minutes of pure joy.

Out of left-field as a spaghetti-western ballad comes Gunslingher's Lullaby, and I'm a massive fan. The song has vivid imagery and I really appreciate how the arrangement gently shifts the energy levels while perfectly maintaining the flow.

Finally, Tumi Ami is something like chillout remix of Ballygunge. I think it's a nice way to be gently brought back to reality at the end of the album.

Audio quality rant

Too much bass! I realise it's a funk styling tradition, but the bass guitar is overbearing for me. Also, the horns and other cameo instruments can seem like second-class citizens, getting buried under the vocals and being vaguely positioned. On the plus side, the vast array of sounds is a delight to experience and the recording has a great sense of envelopment.

Favourite songs

Ballygunge, I Love You Love You, The Raan of Kutch, Zhooti Naina, (Mera Naam Hai) Lucky, Robobeez, Gunslinger's Lullaby

I diggit?

It took a while, but I got there in the end. Where The Island of Dr Electro has a wonderful disco influence, Run Kitty Run uses a wonderful prog-rock influence instead. (If this were an album from another band, I would probably have been singing its praises right from the start)