Genie-us is the latest release from the Genie camp - what an innovative title! It features a whole roster of top talent including established artists, such as Manak-E, KS Makhan and Lembher, as well as introducing us to some new talent like G-Money and J Deep. The album seems to be in the same kind of mould as the various compilations coming out on the Untouchables label. All you need to do is exchange the RDB boys for Aman Hayer, and you have a very similar kind of set up. Nevertheless, Genie seem to be one of the few labels consistently bringing out albums of a high quality, so I was really looking forward to their latest offering.

The 1st track to kick things of is Billo. KS Makhan is the singer, and as usual he does a fine job. The beat, laid down by Jay J & Aman Hayer, is not one you would normally associate with Makhan's voice, but it works amazingly well. It's a very up-tempo, dance tune. The MC'ing by G-Money also fits in well. All in all a top track, and I have to say this is my track of the year so far.

Next up is the track is called Theka. This time the singer is the most over used singer around at the moment Lembher Hussainpuri. This guy has the most incredible voice, but it seems like he is fast going the way of Amar Arshi, as his vocals seem to be on almost every other album coming out right about now. Since, the huge success of Unda Da Influence, Lembher is the man most in demand. The production duties are this time taken up by Groove productions, which are ably, assisted by Aman Hayer. The MC's going back to back are $un ED and MC Special. They do the usual Asian MC kind of job. The lyrics of this tune are top, but this is just an average tune really.

Aman Hayer is renowned for bringing desi classics back to life. There was just one track that really needed to be given the Aman Hayer treatment and that was this Kuldip Manak anthem GT Road. Everyone knows this one, and I think everybody knows what to expect. The boys don't let us down with this reworked, but still essentially desi, version. This time Aman joins UV behind the production desk. This is one monster of a tune, and will definitely appeal to all the desi heads.

Now, if you managed to get your hands on KS Makhan's last album from India, not only would you have saved quite a bit of money, but you will have also have heard Track 4 of this album - Sohne Munde. The tune is again on a very desi tip. This time Aman Hayer is solely responsible for the production. The introduction of the track may put a few people off, but it is fundamentally a tune for the real desi heads. Not a bad tune, but nothing special. A good album track, overall.

A newcomer going by the name Sunny Nijjar sings the fifth track. His voice sounds quite decent but I can detect a hint of a vocoder used on this one. The beat employed by Groove productions works really well. The melody of the song is the outstanding feature of this track for me. It will be interesting to hear other material from Sunny, and only time will tell whether he has what it takes to make it as a fully-fledged singer. It's an encouraging start though.

Lembher is back again for the 6th track, entitled Yaar. The production by Lion is very desi. Lion is a new name to the production game, and he shows his skills off in this track. The voice of Lembher is the same old. He does an excellent job, but I'm getting a bit bored of it all to be honest. Lion's production is not a bad start, but there seems to be a lack of originality in his ideas. Again, not a bad debut, but I feel he will have to step up his game, if he wants to be successful as a producer.

The beat for track 7 - Chardi Jawani, very discreetly samples Beyonce's Naughty Girl. UV has done the production and it must be said that he has done a decent job. The mix between the traditional and western beats is spot on. Pav this time provides the vocals on this one and I'd say his voice seems to be a little too weak to be a bhangra singer - but then again who said you have to have a certain type of voice? This is again a good enough album track, but nothing to write home about.

Vair is the title for track 8, and begins with a very deep kind of beat, with a haunting siren kind of beat. It's best not to focus on this siren though, as it has the potential of distracting you from what is a good track. The singer is J Deep - a new name to me. Like Pav, he does not have the standard bhangra kind of voice. It works well in this track, the melody again being a very positive point. The production is by Groove Productions, who once more do a top job.

Track 9 is called Nachna, and starts of with various scratching sounds. The production is by Grinder, and the vocals by Ruby. This is a very average track. The singing is not bad, but is not especially suited to this beat. The beat itself is also not too bad. However, it seems to be a bit too up-tempo for this tune. This isn't a track I'll be listening too much. Fast forward…

Guess who's back for the tenth track - Mr Hussainpuri for the third time on this album. His melody here is a bit different to what I've heard in the past. The beat is fairly laid back, and has been produced by Gurj Gill. It all works quite well - not one for the dance floors, much more of a chilling track.

The desi mix of Theka is next up. This time there are three producers - Aman Hayer, UV & AJ. The beat is obviously more desi than the earlier version, and the MC's have been taken out - a good move in my opinion. These vocals and lyrics are much more suited to this type of beat. All in all, a much improved mix.

The final track is Dil De De, and is sung by Manak-E. Again there is a scratch introducing the track in. The beat is very laid back again. Behind the production boards is Aman Hayer. There's nothing wrong with this track but there isn't anything special about it either. It's a fairly average tune overall.

On the whole, Genie-Us is a quite decent album. It is most definitely better than most of the albums coming out nowadays. However, if you took away Billo and GT road - you would be left with an album that is typical of the bhangra albums available at the moment. But, at the end of the day, both tracks ARE on the album! A huge plus point of the album is the number of original tracks. The lyrics, and melodies are not the same worn out ones you will hear on many other albums. The idea of using a compilation album to launch new talent is a positive one in my opinion, as this is a good way of uncovering future talent. It also gives newcomers the opportunity to bring some material out. I'd have to give Genie-Us 7.5/10 - get out and get your copy now!