If Jazbah had Suhel Khan singing alongside different singers in every song of the album, Sagar Desai has gone one step ahead and given every song in Straight to a single singer, Suraj Jagan. At least the credits section has mention of only Suraj Jagan as singer. And when you see Suraj Jagan in the singer list and rewind to his previous songs, Johnny Gaddaar from the namesake movie and Zehreele from Rock On!!, the expectations from this album shall have been set already, that of a rock album. To the album then.
Saanson Ka Rukna
Except for the alternative-style instrumentation, Saanson Ka Rukna sounds straight out of a Beatles album, complete with the chorus. And when I say this, be sure that there is nothing negative intended. The song has been brilliantly arranged, and Suraj Jagan’s singing is exceptional. The chorus deserves a special mention, as they are instrumental in bringing in that old timer feel. In short, Sagar Desai starts off with a bang! Lyricist Subrat Sinha has included some English in between the predominantly Hindi song, probably to fit the rock mood.
Humse Jo Churaiye
While this song again continues in the rock mode, the song is set along softer and more romantic lines. Suraj has toned down his voice well to fit the mood, though I would have preferred someone like KK for this song. The chorus again succeeds in taking you back in time. The chorus really deserved a mention in the track credits for the wonderful job they have done. The Hinglish lyrics continue, with increased concentration of English this time.
Kya Hua Hoo Hoo
This one sees a further dilution in the rock component, as it follows a more folkish line. Suraj’s rendition has been superior in this as well. Yet another engaging feel-good track from Sagar Desai.
Love Love Love
On any other day, this song would have felt like a good one, and it is a decent one for that matter. But after listening to three superior offerings this one somehow doesn’t quite appeal. The lyrics, and especially some horrendous singing towards the end add to the ineffectuality of the song. While the mix of Hindi and English sounded fine in the first two songs, here it sounds irritating in some places. The song seems to be picturised on a party or some sort of a get together.
Run Run Run
This one is apparently the background score of the movie, and is done by Louis Banks. Here Suraj Jagan returns to his elements, screaming away to glory!! As a rock song this Run.. is totally fine, but coming from Louis Banks, I expected something more subtle.
While Sagar Desai has been limited to the parallel cinema arena so far, more specifically to the Rajat Kapoor household (Mixed Doubles, Bheja Fry, Siddharth – The Prisoner, Mithya), this brilliant soundtrack shall be his ticket to mainstream movies, hopefully. Further about Desai, he is part of a band called Zambezi funk with leading rapper Blaaze. You can see below the video of a wonderful song from the band, featuring both Desai and Blaaze.
