Well, number three might have you stumped. Except for the few chronic lifeline remote-control dependants, there is very little chance of a large percentage of the population to have heard of an singer with a lusty voice, who manages his glottal sounds like we take coffee breaks.

Egyptian Hisham Abbas, with his new album Nari Nari, takes defiant strides towards the Indipop firmament, and almost snatches a sizeable portion of it. After all, in a genre that supports half-baked tea-time endeavours like nothing else, Abbas is almost like King Solomon. Nari Nari is a clarion call to the inculcation of Egyptian music into the mainstream medium. The songs will slowly grow on you, if you learn to look beyond undulating belly dancers.

There is a sense of gay abandon that runs through all the tracks, and Abbas shows he means business right from the time you can say nari. The title song is an amalgamation of myriad meanderings. On the surface, it might seem like part of the done-to-death "India is the best country in the world" feel, but the robust riffs convey a sense of genuine energy. Abbas is undeterred. His vocals are firmly rooted in his bearings. But he still moves out of the milieu, and brings a global feel into Nari nari. We only wish co-singer Jayashree did not sound like she needed a Hindi tutor.

The bouquet of tunes brings together a plethora of fragrances, so the total experience is not in any way "deflowering." Abbas shows his versatility as a carefree wanderer and an introspective mendicant, through offerings like Ya man hawaho, Ala allah and Albi. His voice sounds strange to Indian ears, but it must be listened to in the context of the genre.

Nari Nari does not come with its assured set of formula ditties - it will answer the call of the eclectic music lover who demands more than the pink-lipstick brigade crooners.