The success of "Aaja" kept the Sahotas busy on the road ,
performing at major venues through out UK. After such responsive success, the band started
working on some ideas for their fourth album "Ishk". The Sahotas had built up a
young crowd following so the concept behind this album was for it to appeal to the more
mature listeners. Not only had the Sahotas matured, the musical style was also changing.
Surjit had spent many hours working on his vocal
techniques, ranging from Punjabi roots to more modern style vocals. Mukhtar was putting
together some rough backing tracks for the album. They got together near Loughborough in a
town called Shepshed where Surjit was living for a short period. Most of the pre
production work was done there and then completed in the Sinewave recording studios pre
production room.
One special feature on the album was "Urdas Kar De
Han" (Let Us Pray). It is a song about world peace and unity, a subject that the
Sahotas feel strongly about. This song was sung by Surjit at the temple he and the rest of
the band attended. The first recording of this track had been made years earlier in 1986,
at school to raise money for a charity.
The Sahotas were very pleased with the way the songs had
come together. The recording of the album was completed and the cover sleeve was getting
it's finishing touches ready for the release in June 1991.
Just before the release the Sahotas arranged a party, in
the building of the recording studios for all the people that had worked on the album. The
party was in full swing, into the early hours of the morning, with "Ishk" on
repeat and the volume up to the max. It was a good job the studio was closing down, the
place was in a state!
The album did exceptionally well and the band are
constantly told how different it is in it's style and vocal arrangements. Not only did
"Ishk" top the Bhangra Charts once again, but remained in the top ten for a
record breaking five months, leading the progression of The Sahotas even further. This
album marked a new pinnacle in their careers, a true classic.