“Fog Horn Blowing” (SINGLE) by Jasmine Bharucha

“Fog Horn Blowing” is the new single from Jasmine Bharucha. While that name might not ring a bell at first, Bharucha has actually been performing since she was a teenager. Bharucha’s 1991 “All Alone Now” from her album Alien Desire landed her as the first singer from India ever to appear on MTV Asia. Fast forward to 2020, and Bharucha’s voice is still soulful and beautiful in the country-tinged “Fog Horn Blowing”.

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Bright and lovely-mannered, Bharucha sings down to the water on a Thursday night, you bring the song, and I’ll sing it right, as she sails down the water in the pale moon light, there’s a fog horn blowing. Bharucha is singing about Steveston, British Columbia. The village is seaside, a suburb of Richmond, Vancouver. Bharucha’s love for the town is evident and the steady music bed bolsters the hum along melody. She’s accompanied first by an acoustic guitar, before the song opens up into a full-band backing tune. I could be mistaken, but I also heard a faint piano. It adds yet another warm, organic texture to the song. While it’s along the country lines, the song’s steps might also be in the adult contemporary or Americana avenues. The more I listened to this song, the more comparisons to Shania Twain kept popping up.  I can’t say definitively, though, that this song is cemented in the country genre. It’s really at a crossroads, or in this case, a harbor.

Bharucha uses the word water in the song lyrics often, and the flow of the song is very laid back. It’s just a cool, breezy song. Something about this song makes me think of vintage postcards or Normal Rockwell’s paintings. She emboldens her listener with her distinct imagery – the water, the leaves turning, the idea of the town gathering down at the dock. I loved that she chose Thursday nights because in my mind the other days of the week are for date night, partying or family. Maybe Thursday night is when the fishermen (and women) return and honk those fog horns. It’s idyllic for a scene-stealing moment. The warning isn’t that there’s actually fog, in my imagination, it’s that they are returning from their shifts and ready to see their families. I’m sure there’s fog too, but everything is so clear and delightful in the song I couldn’t quite connect an actual fog horn sound (which immediately takes me back to the original Scooby Doo cartoon series) with this song. Bharucha is just so caring and soft with the song it didn’t compute.

Another thing that occurred to me while listening to “Fog Horn Blowing” is that sense of community. She really takes the listener into the cradle of this town. She might not have the rhetoric that Bruce Springsteen often exhibits, but I think it’s in the same vein. Bharucha’s conversational lyrics and stunning voice gives her song a very pleasant, warm tone. I’m anxious to hear more tracks from this songstress and hoping she doesn’t wait as long between her next release.

Mindy McCall

The music of Jasmine Bharucha has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division.  Learn more https://musikandfilm.com