The album has two tracks composed by Shankar Mahadevan, one of which has already been doing rounds on music channels. Mehrmaa Ve is a very soothing melody, arranged well by SM. The highlight of the song is obviously Akriti‘s adeptness at handling the classical nuances with ease. The second one, Na Re, starts off as a mundane techno track but the composer’s true colours surface once the mukhda gets over, traversing carnatic fusion and jazz. Akriti’s tribute to the late doyen Noor Jehan, Dil Vi Deewana, is also a pleasing composition. Akriti surely is no Jaspinder Narula, but delivers the song well enough to be engaging.
Enter Akriti’s own comps. The first one, Gazab, has its good points, like a nice base tune, but all that gets lost in the Hinglish(or Pinglish or whatever it is that Punjabi-English lyrics are called) lyrics and the extravagant use of instruments which takes the song to a slightly cacophonous level. Nevertheless, I liked the use of the mandolin-like instrument which keeps surfacing in places. Things improve with Taabiz, which in spite of its deja vu-ish sinister Arabic-rock orchestration, is quite impressive, Akriti’s singing being a major contributor. But it is in Chhoone Do and Chal Kaheen that Akriti Kakar the composer truly arrives. Buoyed by Tubby-Parik‘s sedate arrangement and Akriti’s soulful rendition, Chhoone Do scores even higher than Shankar Mahadevan’s scores in the album! Things are neatly wrapped up with Chal Kaheen, another well-arranged melody.
A spectacular debut from Akriti Kakar as composer. Hope this is just the beginning!
Music Aloud Rating: 8.5/10
Recommended Tracks: Chhoone Do, Mehrmaa Ve, Chal Kaheen
Akriti – Music Review
