Kavita Seth’s voice conveys the longing for the lover beautifully in Chaahe Dard De, even as the choice of charukesi raga and a sarangi in the right spots make the song adequately melancholic. The contemplative title song starts off well, the minimal background allowing the singer to carry the song forth on her shoulders. But the slowness and the monotony finally get the better of it. The sinister Ik Lagan Lagi sees some lovely flute play complimenting the lady who sounds a bit like Rekha Bhardwaj in places. Iss Tasavvur is built quite along the lines of Chaahe Dard De, even set in a raga quite close to charukesi (parmeshwari in this case), and here too Kavita is spot on with her soulfulness. In the background a haunting combo of piano, flute and santoor make this score over Chaahe.. though.
Tere Khayal is the only song that follows a conventional ghazal format in terms of tune, albeit with contemporary arrangements. Having sung many such songs in the past Kavita has little difficulty rendering this in style. Tu Mera Kuch entertains as much as it does for the singer’s prowess, but the slow pace of the song combined with the minimal orchestration make it a daunting listen after a bit. Yun Toh Naadaan’s breeziness allures big time, mainly for the beautiful flute phrases. Zindagi Ki Nayi is almost like an extended jingle with its pop-ish arrangement, and has that feel good charm inherent to such tunes. The weakest song in the album to me is Aaye Gaye Badra, despite its classical base and the finesse with which Kavita sings the sargams et al, courtesy a dated arrangement.
Ek Din. Simple, mostly engaging, album from composer Jagdish Prakash and Kavita Seth.
Top Recos: Iss Tasavvur, Ik Lagan Lagi, Yun Toh Naadaan
