You can listen to the songs at the end of the review.
Mauli Mauli is a devotional track, a genre that composers Ajay Atul have consistently excelled in (and also the genre that made me their fan – first through Viruddh and then the album Vishwatma). Mauli is no different, albeit reminiscent of the duo’s older devotional tracks – high on percussion (pakhawaj in particular), resonant orchestral sound with a well-employed chorus, led by Ajay Gogavale himself on lead. Aala Holicha seems to be a tribute to the 80s Hindi music (or maybe Marathi music of the time, not sure). Another not-so-old tribute Ooh La La instantly sprang to mind. In any case, the composers’ deftness with percussion-led arrangement helps mitigate that problem. Also helping is the singing by Swapnil Bandodkar and Yogita Pathak. New Nava Tarana is a delightful ride, rich in accordion and violins and brass and all such happy sounds. And Kunal Ganjawala is brilliant with his rendition; trademark improvisations and all. The grand orchestral sound is back even more beautifully in Jeev Bhulala, the composers particularly excelling in the interludes. The icing on the cake is Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal’s pitch perfect singing. Ye Na Saajna is the only song that doesn’t quite hit the mark in comparison. There are high points to be sure, like the brass section in the initial moments and of course Shreya Ghoshal, but the song as such comes off as an unsettling mish-mash.
Barring that last one song, Lai Bhaari once again sees composers Ajay Atul in top form.
Music Aloud Rating: 8/10
Top Recos: Jeev Bhulala, New Nava Tarana, Mauli Mauli
