You can listen to the soundtrack here (Thanks a lot to @kaustubhkale for the link).

The only track in the short soundtrack of Singham that truly feels like an Ajay-Atul make is the title song sung by Sukhwinder Singh. The traditional-song-meets-orchestra format is something the duo has tried in the past to produce some wonderful songs, and this time too the effect is quite impressive. And the highlight of the arrangement is its interesting use of percussion. Wonder if it is drumming on the rim of the drum or some other instrument. Sukhwinder as usual nails the song, and is provided excellent support by the chorus. The last 30 seconds of the song where the chorus chants on to an overdrive of instruments is just mindblowing! Saathiyaa that follows has an addictive hook, and with Shreya Ghoshal doing the singing assisted by sparse backing vocals from Ajay Gogavale, is an engaging song indeed. Once again one can discern the characteristic orchestral effects in the background, but all that gets diluted by the standard romantic melody feel that is all about the track. The identity-transition is complete with the final track, Maula Maula, which barring the fact that Kunal Ganjawala is doing the vocals alongside Richa Sharma, could very easily pass off for a SEL composition! In the end there are remixes of all three tracks, which, while thankfully not a techno-overdose, are no match for the originals.

A soundtrack which, but for the title song, is hardly reflective of the prodigious talent the national award-winning duo is. But to be fair to Ajay-Atul, Singham might not be a movie worthy of a super-outstanding soundtrack.

Music Aloud Rating – 6.5/10

Another episode of MTV’s most useful initiative in recent times. Despite whatever flaws the opening episode might have had, I am sure anyone following music would have been waiting for the show. So was I, and this time I was lucky to catch it on Friday itself, thanks to MTV uploading the songs onto youtube almost immediately after the show got done. My views below. Click on the song title to watch the song on youtube.

Dheere Dheere – Megha Sriram Dalton

Episode 2 kicks off with Megha Sriram Dalton (who you might know by this song from Anwar) presenting what is termed a medley of four songs from Bihar and Jharkhand (Dheere Dheere, Nazar Barchi, A Ra Ra Ra, Janimani Ka Fashion/Phaisan). But it turns out to be Dheere Dheere followed by a medley of the other three songs due to the clear divide. But having songs from two ends of the spectrum helps as a wonderful showcase of Megha’s vocal prowess. The way she is almost crying out the lines of Dheere Dheere at one moment and brightly dancing to Nazar Barchi at the next, is admirable. She is not flawless in her execution, no, but what she lacks in technical finesse she more than makes up with her exuberance. The flautist is excellent in the interludes, especially the long solo towards the end.

Allah Hi Reham – Shankar Mahadevan

First song on the show which qualifies as a true Bollywood product, having been created by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for the Karan Johar movie My Name Is Khan. And thereby a lovely example of how a Bollywood song can be adapted to a studio version. The original from MNIK was a sufi song of course, but it was very SEL-esque in its implementation, and though Ustad Rashid Khan headed the vocals, he was once again straitjacketed by the Bwood factor. At Coke Studio though, Leslie gives the arrangement a total revamp with the lead instrument being a sarangi, which creates some truly memorable moments. And giving enough time for Shankar Mahadevan to cut himself loose, which he does fabulously in the last three minutes or so. It is lovely the way Shankar gradually steers the song away into carnatic territory as it progresses. Minor lapses in control, pitching etc. do happen, but I am willing to overlook all that for that last segment. This is the Shankar Mahadevan I wanted to see on Coke Studio, I am happy.

Path Kai Paare Koi – Khagen Gogoi

Though the fusion he was involved in didn’t quite work for me due to the discordance, Khagen Gogoi on an individual level had made an indelible impression in the last episode. Hence it is with great hopes that I sit to listen to this one. And my hopes are not misplaced the least bit. There is a cuteness (for want of a better word) to the way Gogoi sings, and this cuteness is perfectly complemented by Lezz in his arrangement, keeping the modern instruments like guitar and keyboards to a minimum while giving prominence to the ethnic ones like the flute and the gogona. As a result when the sitar comes in the interlude it sounds particularly imposing, and the effect is lovely. Equally impressive is that change in tempo towards the end. And when I use “cuteness” to describe Gogoi’s singing, it is in no way understating his ability to handle the classical nuances.

By the way has anybody else heard that “piriti piriti piriti” portion, that Gogoi sings towards the end, elsewhere? I am sure I have, but unable to place it.

Mehrmaa Ve – Akriti Kakar, Shankar Mahadevan

A song composed by Shankar for Akriti’s self-titled debut album that came out last year. Not that I have anything against this song, but given the fact that this song received considerable air time having had a music video and all, and the album has other good songs which not many might have heard, I would have expected Akriti to choose another track. Nevertheless.. Once again, Lezz gives the song a complete makeover, there is nothing much from the original arrangement apart from Akriti’s practiced singing – barring some minor improvisations she reproduces the track as is. One of the best things about the new arrangement is the use of harmonium in the initial half. And in the latter half Shankar’s humming in the interludes. And another good thing, perhaps for the first time in the show I heard the voice of the backing ladies. Clearly MTV has worked on the sounds. Overall though, the Coke Studio version didn’t impress me as much as the original, may be its just me.

Jiya Laage Na – Leslie Lewis, Shankar Mahadevan, Khagen Gogoi, Akriti Kakar, Megha Sriram Dalton

The last track (technically, the song after this is a repeat) of the episode is an own comp by Leslie Lewis that has him playing the acoustic guitar and bringing together all performers of the episode on the vocals. Hats off to Lezz for creating a piece that, despite its pop-base, doesn’t make any singer seem out of place. He even includes the sarangi and sitar players who have been spectacular this evening. Unfortunate that the flautist didn’t find a place. Like with the episode, Shankar Mahadevan provides the classical-based axis (once again kalyani-based) around which the others build their portions, all in line with what they earlier performed in the episode. And they all fit to the tee, be it Khagen’s Assamese bit or Megha’s Bihari (I assume) segment. There is a Chinna Ponnu-esque infectiousness about Megha’s singing too, something that comes out prominently in this one. Add to that a wonderful array of instruments and the backing vocalists pitching in at the right places, and you have a winner (another one to add to our theory that songs having acoustic guitar as dominant instrument never fail! ). Lovely way to end the evening.

I treat the previous song as the last one of the evening coz the show actually closes with a rerun of Tip Top+Me Dolkar by Khagen Gogoi and Shankar Mahadevan, review of which I have already recorded here.

An episode much more in line with what I expected of Coke Studio at MTV, with much less issues as compared to episode 1. Some might have problems with there being too much of Shankar Mahadevan, but as long as he is creating stuff like he did in Allah Hi Reham I don’t mind that at all. And in two episodes the show already has its first big contribution in the form of Khagen Gogoi – what a singer! So here’s looking forward to more lovely music and more such artists from Coke Studio India in days to come.

Music Aloud Rating – 7.25/10

Top Recos – Allah Hi Reham, Jiya Laage Na, Path Kai Paare Koi

After three days of launch of the Indian edition of Coke Studio I finally got to see the show yesterday. With all the hype and the mixed responses tending to extreme levels, it has been a painful wait indeed! So here are my thoughts on the first episode of Coke Studio @ MTV. You can click on the song title to watch the song on youtube.

O Majhi Re – Sourav Moni, Shaan

Yes, it starts with a Bollywood track. But also one counted among the most respectable songs from the industry, among the best examples of folk infusion in Hindi music, by the inimitable Pancham da (The intro scroller credits the song to SD Burman. Mistake in the intro piece itself?!), therefore in no way an inappropriate song to start off with. And Leslie Lewis has treated the song with the respect it deserves, slowly building up to a crescendo. Those familiar with Leslie’s work for Colonial Cousins and the wonderful soundtrack of Apna Aasmaan would instantly get reminded of those in some parts of the orchestration. The vocalists Shaan and Sourav Moni are on the opposite extremes regarding their music, voice et al, and it is in this contrast that the beauty lies. I got very much reminded of the combo of Saieen Zahoor and Noori who again presented a similar level of dissimilitude in Aik Alif. And Moni is impeccable in his rendition of the Bengali folk portions. There might have been better replacements for Shaan on the Hindi part, but the man has in the past done immense justice to Kishore da songs with groups like Instant Karma, so his choice was only logical. And he does his job quite well, faltering ever so slightly in the improv portions. The in-house band proves its mettle in this song itself, the flautist especially doing a fantabulous job in the second half. Wonderful start to the episode all in all.

Yaar Basainda – Tochi Rainaa, Mathangi Rajasekhar

In this song Tochi Rainaa presents a classic case of why overdependence on Bollywood singers might not be a very good idea. Here too there is a sharp contrast, apart from the obvious Punjabi-Carnatic one – that between Mathangi Rajasekhar’s elegant and perfect navigation through the complex nuances of the bahudaari raga-based Brova Barama, and Tochi’s often off-key and botched-up singing (or from the sound of it in places, belching) of Yaar Basainda. There doesn’t seem to be much of a seamless fusion happening between the two genres. It’s just a carnatic song fast forwarded and force-fitted into a Punjabi song in three parts. Having done such superlative carnatic-based fusion with Colonial Cousins one would expect better from Lezz. Nevertheless, loved Mathangi, what a voice and what singing; to render those brugas with such perfection at that pace is one mean feat. And lovely sitar in that interlude! Tochi might have done some good Bollywood songs, but here he is hardly that self. Couldn’t this song have better been rendered by some established Punjabi singer?

Tip Top & Me Dolkar – Khagen Gogoi, Shankar Mahadevan

One of the people I was most waiting to see perform on Coke Studio, Shankar Mahadevan. With another prolific singer from Assam, Khagen Gogoi. Also, the backing vocalists make their first appearance. A cute bunch they appear, like in the Pak edition. Almost the entire first half is taken up by Gogoi with his dainty rendition of the Bihu folk song called Tip Top. Lezz could probably have avoided the drums set for this, it would have sounded more beautiful with just the flute and the dholak-esque percussion (its a dhol apparently, thanks to Manash for the information). And then enters Shankar in his inimitable style, starting from a Himalayan level high note with the familiar Koli geet Me Dolkar. And he delivers it with perfection, adding a lot of improvs, and the two singers combine their portions towards the end in a very impressive manner. But at the end of it, I am left slightly disappointed with Shankar (no not coz of the Bollywood factor, I shall never denigrate Shankar Mahadevan calling him a Bwood singer, he is much much more than that!). No doubt he does a splendid job of the song, but imho, he is over-qualified for the song. When I wished for Shankar to be on Coke Studio, it was to see some kickass classical-based fusion, the sorts he has done with acclaimed musicians worldwide. Me Dolkar needed someone much less sophisticated, someone who would deliver the fishermen’s song as it is. On that front I felt Shankar was out of place here. Hope he returns this season itself the way I wish him to, doing what he does awe-inspiringly well.

Vethalai – Chinna Ponnu, Kailash Kher

The best song of the episode so far for the way the fusion works. While most of the song is taken up by the infectiously cheery Chinna Ponnu (whose world-famous Naakku Mukka few among you would not have danced to) with the Tamil street song, Kailash plays the supporting role wonderfully with an own-comp that goes perfectly with the Tamil portion despite being a Hindi song with its own identity. It is lovely to see the two singers complement each other in places. Even the short tarana portion at the end is nice. The only crib, sounds in this one. There was nothing to be heard of the claps done in between despite there being such a lot people clapping. And was it just me or was there something wrong with Sanjeev Thomas’ guitar solo with the thavil player (whose name I do not know unfortunately Kumar, Chinna Ponnu’s husband, thanks to Arun for the update)?

Bichua – Bondo, Sunidhi Chauhan, Mousam Gogoi

The second Bollywood cover for the evening, but once again like the first one, a folk-based tune, one adapted from Assam by Salil Choudhary for Madhumati and sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Part of it also adapted by the Colonial Cousins for their song Feel Alright. And Sunidhi is another person I was happy about being on the show. Having followed her from her Meri Awaaz Suno days I have been disappointed at the way she has been utilized in Bollywood, almost 90% of her repertoire comprised of item numbers. Coke Studio was one place she could set her voice free once again, I had thought. And with her was another Assamese singer Mousam Gogoi. Having already adapted this song as Feel Alright, I was afraid Bichua might end up sounding pretty much the same. But Lezz takes it to the other extreme, with a heavily percussion-oriented exuberant arrangement. Sunidhi, while delivering the song with matching energy, hardly sounds her flowing self. She visibly struggles to deliver the more complex portions. Not that she falters at any place, but she seems to be on the brink. Sad what item-ization can do to you. It is Mousam who appears towards the latter half of the song and steals the thunder from right under Sunidhi’s nose with an effortless classical-based rendition of folk portions. Having said that, the two singers collaborate beautifully in the grand culmination with their improvs.

Chadta Suraj – Sabri Brothers, KK

With this song the show enters the Coke Studio Pakistan territory, giving a contemporary repackaging to a traditional qawwali. Not having heard the original qawwali by Aziz Nazan I cannot comment on how well Chadta Suraj was adapted by Leslie Lewis, but I did like what I heard. It might have been to bring the contrast factor again, that Leslie paired the classically-well rooted Sabri brothers with the predominantly melody-oriented KK. And it does work to quite an extent, except when it comes to the soaring portions towards the end. Sure, KK has done Tadap Tadap, but then he wasn’t singing it with anyone else. Here, the effort to catch up with the prolific Toshi and Sharib Sabri brothers (apparently Toshi and Sharib are a different set of Sabri brothers. Too many Sabri brothers I say! Thanks to @diogeneb for pointing out the mistake) does not leave KK’s vocal chords in very good shape in the end. Once again got me thinking whether they should have gone for an alternate singer.

Hoo – Harshdeep Kaur

The show ends on another genre very much seen in the Pakistan edition, a melancholic shivranjani raga-based sufi song originally composed by Sultan Baahu, but with variations by singer Harshdeep, she tells me. This track was the first to be released officially by MTV. I had liked it right then, and repeated listens have done little to the likeability. The singing is spot on, being no newbie to the genre Harsheep delivers it with finesse, and the arrangement totally complements her singing. The reverb on the vocals could have been toned down though, such powerful voices really don’t need that and it sticks out badly in places.

To sum up, not the perfect start to Coke Studio @ MTV. But hey, even Coke Studio Pakistan was not built in a day! Go see their Season 1 and you will know. And looking at things here it will take far less time for Coke Studio India to attain their current level. Regarding quality of music there is no doubt. Some more judiciousness in the choice of singers is where the episode was majorly lacking, there were clear misfits. It is ok to have Bollywood singers on the show for that initial traction, but probably not so many per episode. Once again to draw a parallel with the Pak. edition, CS did not become popular in India coz their singers were stars. In fact most of them became stars coz of their performance on the show. Nevertheless, that still doesn’t warrant the excessive negativity towards the show. The only thing I would tell the detractors is, after a long time MTV is seriously looking to contribute in a way that justifies their name. Let’s give them a chance, shan’t we? After all, to rephrase Mr. Shastri, in the end music should be the real winner.

Music Aloud Rating – 6.5/10

Top Recos – Hoo, Vethalai, O Majhi Re, Chadta Suraj

You can listen to the soundtrack here. (link courtesy once again, mr. prabshoney)

Amit Trivedi follows the standard tapori song template for Tai Tai Phish and its mildly modified version Aa Rela Hai Apun and they work like such songs generally do – the foot-tapping-ness, the energy and all that. And the composer is perfect as lead singer, belting out the street lingo in his throaty voice. He is supported by Jaishri Trivedi in thef first song and Armaan Malik, Tanmay Chaudhari, Amitabh Bhattacharya and Arvind Vishwakarma in the latter. Nevertheless there is nothing Amit Trivedi-ish about the arrangement, he has pulled off similar genres with much more élan in the past. The composer sounds more in his elements in the next song Chatte Batte sung by Mohit Chauhan with assistance from Armaan Malik, Gaurika Rai and Keshav Rai. Very flippant and engaging orchestration with a lot of outlandish sounds thrown in, the song is sure to strike a chord with the kids. And the composer gives a part of the track a sedate makeover in the sad version sung by Mohit alone. Ziddi Piddi too has unconventional elements in its arrangement, but on a more orchestral scale. And with some rock also thrown in in places, the song is a good listen, though somewhere the vocal section does carry a heard-before feel about it.

Ek School Banana Hai sounds exactly like how Udaan’s soundtrack would have been had it been made with a much younger cast. Lovely orchestration with a slight garnishing of frivolity brought about by the use of ukulele and splendid vocals from Gaurav Rai, Keshav Rai, Firoza and students of Ajivasan School (Suresh Wadkar’s), the song is the high point of the soundtrack. Behla Do that follows is equally wonderful, Amit Trivedi getting kids to sing a rock song! And Armaan Malik and Firoza do a spectacular job at the vocals. Though not at the same level, the final song Liar Liar too features some excellent singing by Gaurika Rai and Keshav Rai and is engaging mainly for that factor, and for some elements in the arrangement (is that a Chinese violin being played in the initial portions? Loved it!).

Chillar Party – not Amit Trivedi’s best, but a fairly entertaining soundtrack. Should work better with the visuals. Talking of visuals I am guessing the first song is the one featuring Ranbir Kapoor in his dad’s avatar.

Music Aloud Rating – 7/10

Top recos – Ek School Banana Hai, Behla Do, Chatte Batte

For those counting down to the launch of Coke Studio @ MTV, the channel has more in store for you on the 17th of June. At 8.30 pm tomorrow MTV shall kick off another show called MTV Roots, a 30 minute programme promoting Indie music from the subcontinent. Just to give you a general picture, the artistes being featured include Avial, Ankur Tewari, MIA, Mekal Hasan Band, Bombay Rockers and many others. And like Coke Studio this too shall be a weekly thing, with repeat shows on Saturday and Sunday at 12.30 pm. With Coke Studio and now Roots as well being launched tomorrow, one might as well christen June 17th as MTV Resurrection Day!

You can listen to the complete soundtrack here (a BIG thank you to @prabshoney for once again providing the link on time)

The soundtrack gets off to a dream start with the brilliantly arranged semiclassical piece (composed in Kalyani/Yaman) called Haal-e-Dil sung by the Big B himself, with excellent backing provided by Monali Thakur. Starting on a sedate unplugged mode and gradually building up to an orchestral finish, the song is an absolute gem. Bachchan sounds as fab as he ever did delivering this one. Unfortunately for the soundtrack it becomes a case akin to the one nicely put by Orson Welles once – “I started at the top and worked my way down”. Having given such a beautiful song at the start, the rest of the soundtrack doesn’t sound half as fun. The title track impresses more in it’s a cappella version (not purely a cappella though, with an electric guitar playing on in the second half Apparently that sound is not of an electric guitar but processed vox of AB Sr. Thanks a lot to @parikhm for the info.) again primarily owing to Bachchan’s singing. In its dub step version it gets too remix-y with the increased electronic infusion.

Bachchan Sr. is joined by Bachchan Jr. in Go Meera Go which is essentially a remixed medley of some vintage Bachchan hits (Paan Banaaras Waala, Pag Ghunghroo Baandh, Rang Barse, Saara Zamaana). Surely a trip down memory lane for Bachchan fans in terms of choice of songs and everything, but not as pleasing on the musical front. For a pair of composers who have in the past given such wonderful tributes to classics from Pancham da, Vishal Shekhar do a rather commonplace job in Go Meera.. resorting to tasteless DJ-esque techno embellishments. The song might eventually turn out to be a wonderful watch, but musically I didn’t find it very appealing. The portion I quite liked though was the title hook sung by Abhishek. The closing song Main Chandigarh Di Star is once again techno-based but is more interesting than the previous two techno tracks due to the creative mix of techno and Punjabi elements and Sunidhi Chauhan’s vox.

One hell of a track which easily rates among Vishal Shekhar’s career best + four others which get outdone either by the brilliance of the first one or a few flaws of their own, that’s Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap for you. Nevertheless, you SHOULD buy the soundtrack for that one song, it is totally worth it!

Music Aloud Rating – 7/10

Recommended Tracks – Haal-e-Dil, BHTB acappella version

You can download the songs from the official site here.

Sajjad Ali’s sprightly Kirkir Kirkir starts off the proceedings in Episode 2 (wonder why they didn’t go for naming the episodes this time), a very sing along-ish folk track set to contemporary orchestration. The western twist provided on occasions by the violin and chorus work quite well. From a contemporized folk number the show moves on to a true blue folk track next, Senraan Ra Baairya, One feels a happy feeling well up within as we listen to Asif Hussain Samraat take us through the Rajasthani track in his pristine soulful voice. Hyatt quite aptly chooses the simplest of arrangement to go with the song, and with Zoe Viccaji providing the backing at the right places as well, the song is total bliss. The episode continues along folk territory with Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi reciting the tragic love story of Sassi and Punnu through his Ni Oothaan Waale. Esakhelvi sounds quite like sufi singer Saieen Zahoor who had made an appearance in Season 2 and sung that peach of a song Aik Alif with Noori. The song is again fabulously arranged, a bit more fast-paced than the previous folk track. Here too the backing vocalist is impeccable in her job. Not as captivating as the previous one, but good listen nevertheless.

It is Kaavish who take things outside of the folk genre with a beautiful lullaby Nindiya Re. Wiki tells me Kaavish is a contemporary semi-classical band, and if Nindiya Re is anything to go by I am already a huge fan! An ultra-soothing song helped on its way by Jaffer Zaidi’s dulcet voice and the perfect choice of instruments. Praising the backing vocalists has become a redundant exercise by now. As in episode 1, episode 2 too closes with a classical track, and interestingly this too is a composition in raaga Hindolam/Malkauns. While Sighra was Sanam’s solo act, Kangna sees a mindblowing duel between qawwali exponents Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammad. Replete with taranas and sargams spanning the lowest to the highest octaves and lasting for over 16 minutes, the song is an absolute treat!

An increased leaning towards folk and that blinder of a finish, episode 2 of Coke Studio Season 4 is a definite improvement over episode 1. Still reeling from the after effects of Kangna!

Music Aloud Rating – 8/10

Top Recos – Kangna, Senraan Ra Baairya, Nindiya Re

You can download the songs from the official site here.

Season 4 kicks off with a song by Bilal Khan, To Kia Hua which is captivating for its simplicity. While there is nothing mindblowing about Bilal’s skills like say a Javed Bashir or a Shafqat Amanat, they are just right for this song while he conveys impeccably the hope and the longing, supported by a wonderful selection of instruments and the ladies in the chorus timed to the right moments. Perfect start to the season really, simple and elegant. Things take a sharp turn in Kuch Hai that follows. Composed by Faraz Anwar and sung by Mizraab with qawwali singer Mannan, the song scores majorly on individual acts of brilliance, like the soaring alaaps by Mannan, the harmonic vocals by the backing vocalists Zoe and Rachel, and the outstanding acoustic guitar sequence by Anwar in the second interlude. But at the end of it all the song comes out as an incongruous assemblage of such acts, not really making for an entertaining listen in its entirety.

The folk track Daanah Pah Daanah is the kind that will bring a smile to your face even as you don’t understand a word of it (written in a language native to Balochistan, if the mention of the province in the lyrics is any indicator). Very lilting tune set to an equally charming background, and with Akthar Channal Zahri (who is also lyricist and composer of the song) virtually living the song with his improvs et al and well-supported by Komal Rizvi, the song is a total winner. In a not-so-seamless transition though, the song switches midway to the legendary folk track Laal Meri Path. Komal tries her best to emulate the greats who have covered the song in the past, but there are places she falters. Decent cover nevertheless, though I would have preferred them to stop with Daanah.. itself. And I most certainly did not like the pop twist given at the end. In Ik Aarzu Jal presents a medley of three of their songs, the title one, Tere Ishq Nachaya and Dum Must Kalandar in that order. And to me the progression represented a negative sloped line. Ik Aarzu is an original comp for the show and is beautiful, once again helped by the acoustic guitar factor. Teri Aarzu and Dum Must Kalandar I have not been a great fan of, so though they have been nicely spruced up in the studio version, they didn’t impress me as the initial song did. The episode ends with a song I was really looking forward to, coming from one of the stars of last season, Sanam Marvi. Sighra Aaween Saanwai Yaar(composed in raag Hindolam/Malkauns) is Sanam’s first entry in hardcore classical territory on CS, having sung two folk songs last time. And starting from the spectacular alaap Marvi nails the song. She had shown glimpses of her classical grasp in her folks songs, but Sighra.. is an unleashing of all her classical prowess, and with a powerful voice to bring that out in, the result is 10.5 minutes of awesomeness.

Like the closing episode of the last season, a not-so-perfect episode by the regular Coke Studio standards. Nevertheless the good ones should be enough to keep you occupied for some time. You can watch the videos below.

Music Aloud Rating – 7.5/10

Top Recos – To Kia Hua, Sighra Aaween, Daanah Pah Daanah

You can listen to the complete soundtrack here.

Debutant composer Harshit Saxena has a pretty easy job with his sole song for the soundtrack, Hale Dil, as he simply follows the standard melancholic romance template of the Bhatts, a formula which works every single time though with lesser and lesser recall value each time. Being an accomplished singer that he already is, Harshit takes up the vocals as well and executes it very soulfully. Though he is stymied in his creativity in the original track he does employ a lot of it in the acoustic version, which is therefore a better listen despite not exactly being an “acoustic” track. Sangeet and Siddharth Haldipur, the next set of composers, start off with a wonderfully orchestrated Aa Zara which makes spectacular use of Sunidhi Chauhan’s vocals. The general feel is akin to Udi from Guzaarish. The lounge-ish remix also works nicely for the song’s genre. Their second song though, Tujhko Bhulaana, where Sangeet himself gets behind the mic with Roshni Baptist (interesting name), isn’t half as impressive with its middling arrangement.

With that enters composer no. 3, Mithoon Sharma. And his Aye Khuda is charming, but with a very heavy hangover from his previous sufi-oriented works. Nevertheless there is never a moment that it gets boring, thanks to a splendid job on the vocals by Kshitij Tarey, Saim Bhat and the composer himself. The remix could have been avoided. Melancholic songs are something Mithoon has excelled in right from the start of his career, and even in the closing song of Murder 2, Phir Mohabbat, he presents a beautiful piece, which while not being entirely devoid of déjà vu elements is ultra addictive. Mohammad Irfan does total justice to the mood with his impeccable rendition.

So it is music as usual from the Bhatts in Murder 2 as well – dark, melancholic, tried and tested formulae, couple of stand-out tracks.

Music Aloud rating – 7/10

Top recos – Aa Zara, Hale Dil (acoustic), Phir Mohabbat

You can listen to the soundtrack here.

The less-than-perfect vocals of the three lead actors of the movie Farhan Akhtar, Hritik Roshan and Abhay Deol work nicely with that of Maria’s in the very singalong-ish Spanish track Senorita set to the La Tomatina festival as seen in the recently launched video. So visually and aurally a very fun song, though nothing very spectacular. The spruced up remix is also equally engaging thanks to the minimal usage of electronic elements. Dil Dhadakne Do is entertaining but sounds a lot like a Wake Up Sid-reject. Even Shankar Mahadevan’s Der Lagi Lekin, despite its heart-warmingness, evokes strong memories of the older philosophically-oriented SEL songs. The Farhan Akhtar-rendered Toh Zinda Ho Tum is for the people who like poetry, on the musical front it is too short to make an impact.

It is in the rest of the soundtrack that the composer trio really gets going. Ik Junoon (Paint It Red) is spectacularly addictive with its breezy arrangements and the singing by Vishal Dadlani, Shankar Mahadevan, Gulraj and Alyssa Mendonsa. The remix has a Robert Miles-ish twist given to the arrangement which works quite well for the kind of song it is. Mohit Chauhan’s debut song for SEL, Khaabon Ke Parinday, sees him play second fiddle to an ethereal-sounding Alyssa Mendonsa. Belonging to the league of SEL’s classy works like Phir Dekhiye, the song is undoubtedly the pick of the soundtrack. And finally there is Sooraj Ki Baahon Mein sung by the Cerejos and Loy in which the composers incorporate a retro disco/pop feel in the arrangement to very good effect.

There is something about Farhan Akhtar’s involvement in a project that always brings out the best in Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The hypothesis doesn’t go very wrong with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara either.

Music Aloud Rating – 7.25/10

Top recommends – Khaabon Ke Parindey, Ik Junoon, Sooraj Ki Baahon Mein