Climb on the ROWDY RATHORE Musical Ride

Taking the risk of sounding snobbish or of disappointing some readers, I have to own up to the fact that Sajid-Wajid have seldom been my favorite soundtrack composers. I acknowledge that they are talented and I do believe they have their moments of brilliance but I have sadly never been 100% captivated by a full album of theirs and have always thought that creating a high quality masala soundtrack is a titanic task. The Rowdy Rathore soundtrack however has the merit of having definitely caught my attention and I therefore could not ignore the opportunity of writing something positive about the composers. What follows is a brief account of each track and our recommendations.

'Dhadang Dhang' sets the tone with a powerful and fun groove sung by Wajid and Shreya Goshal. Both the melody, rendition and singing styles transport us to the 1990s and its masala sound. We think the song will be doing the rounds of radio stations and have people humming "dhadang dhang" day in day out.

 'Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita' is another more modern sounding masala track with the characteristic Mika Singh style sticking the repetitive tune in our memory, occasional bansari and all.

"Rowdy" is the proper adjective for 'Aa Re Pritam Pyaare' and the combination of Mamta Sharma's voice with a fast paced background filled with percussions and creative arrangements where there are just the right amount of instrument and rhythm layers to give the listener the impression of rich sound without overwhelming.

The 1990s are clearly paid homage to in 'Chamak Challo Chel Chabeli' which could have been taking right out of one of that decade's film hits. It is an absolute delight to listen to Shreya Ghoshal paired with  Kumar Sanu. How this blogger wishes to listen to him more often in new soundtracks! 

The homage continues in full fledged fashion through 'Tera Ishq Bada Teekha' with a lovey performance in 90s style by Javed Ali and Shreya Ghoshal.

Yes, I am a Shreya Ghoshal admirer but I have to say I am still to find a performance by her where I find true flaws. 'Chandaniya (Lori Lori)' has a quiet charm that could only be enhanced by Shreya's voice.

Akshay Kumar provides thunderous dialogues for the final 'Rowdy Mix', which brings us back to 2012. The Mix provides the nightclub sound that will promote the film throughout India's young hangouts and should possibly be given a "music video" picturization. 

All in all, the Rowdy Rathore soundtrack pledges full allegiance to the 1990s sound in Bollywood and should be enjoyed by all those who enjoy that masala 90s vibe!

Purchase the Rowdy Rathore soundtrack

ROWDY RATHORE

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha
Director: Prabhudeva
Music Director: Sajid-Wajid
Lyricist: Faiz Anwar, Sameer Anjaan, Shiraz Ahmed, Sajid 

Singers: Mika Singh, Wajid, Shreya Goshal, Javed Ali, Kumar Sanu, Mamta Sharma

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7 KHOON MAAF Music Review

Late night insomnia. I chance upon the music soundtrack of upcoming ‘7 Khoon Maaf’. My heart skips a beat at the good news. Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar are behind it. Both are similar to a quality seal on an album. My chance to finally relax and listen to new soulful music tonight is probably here. The computer drive’s laser skims the CD and…

01. Darling - My first reaction is “YES!”. Bhardwaj has done it again. Russian theme ‘Kalinka’, one of my favorite folk tunes, bounces off my bedroom’s walls. The muscles in my body feel compelled to move to the rhythm while Rekha Bhardwaj and Usha Uthup revisit the classic and transform it into a crisp ear-treat (Clinton Cerejo and Francois Castellino join the party in the re-make bonus track that has been baptised ‘Doosri Darling’). This is a skillful opening that certainly has a Russian but also "new tango" feel to it and I must say the "Bhardwaj mood" is set from square one!

02. Bekaraan – Wind. Raindrops. The sound of far away thunder. A heartbeat. The nazm written by Gulzar has been discreetly musicalized by Bhardwaj. It is all but pretentious but may just be what the doctor ordered. Vishal’s voice always has the privilege of leaving me dreamy… Other background vocals echo the starting wind. Soothing. A romantic balm with a beautiful ending.

03. O Mama – Strong performance by K.K. and lyrics by a rocking Gulzar! However, after such a spacy previous 'Bekaraan', I would have possibly preferred listening to the acoustic version of ‘O Mama’ featured as a bonus track in this space. It truly places K.K.’s powerful voice and raw delivery at the forefront of the melody for listeners to enjoy.

04. Awaara – Strings and percussion drizzle from the speakers and I close my eyes in expectation. The guitar riffs get my senses rolling and Master Saleem’s swift vocals elevate the atmosphere and me with it. This is a piece that I would have instinctively recognised as Vishal Bhardwaj’s, santoor, sarangi and all. The singular note combinations, airy feel and dark rhythmic core are all there and nonetheless Vishal succeeds in reinventing his musical personality with utmost elegance. ‘Awaara’ is witness to his chamaeleonic talent.

05. Tere Liye – How many songs have been named 'Tere Liye'? How many lovely ones have I played and replayed in my acoustic mind? This suave sound poem allows the piano and jazzy bass to dance together, playfully throwing soft and unusual chords at each other as romanticism touches new shores. The sitar interludes and the matter-of-fact interpretation by Suresh Wadkar make this particular ‘Tere Liye’ a lovable piece of artwork that will be rediscovered upon each listen.

06. Dil Dil Hai – Rock with a punch enters the scene. Seldom have I heard a singer from India give a rock track all he’s got but 'Dil Dil Hai' has impressive and exciting vocals by Suraj Jagan, who delivers with huge dollops of attitude. After listening I nevertheless still feel I should await the song’s picturisation before giving it a thumbs up. Maybe I have become too old for outright metal rock?

07. Yeshu – The song has a compelling introduction of church bells and choirs. The organ rhythm and a haunting guitar loop uncover Rekha Bhardwaj’s expressive voice, which has been gloriously selected for the mood while electronic instruments blend in without breaking the spell. Grandeur only frightens those who are afraid of achieving it and, as this gentle piece rises to touch grandeur, it pulls you in and moves you with a prayer that leaves no emotion unexplored.

And thus, my friends, as the CD drive cools down I have danced, smiled, pined and managed to unwind. Farewell, insomnia. Tomorrow is another day, and a better one for having discovered Gulzar’s and Bhardwaj’s new offerings. Here is wishing you all the same thrill. :-)

7 KHOON MAAF

Buy the 7 Khoon Maaf soundtrack online from Flipkart (English language site) or Amazon.fr (French site)
Music Director : Vishal Bhardwaj
Lyricist : Gulzar
Music Release Date : 24 January 2011

Visit the film's official website

Watch the 7 Khoon Maaf official trailer
Follow 7 Khoon Maaf on Facebook
Follow 7 Khoon Maaf on Twitter
Film director : Vishal Bhardwaj
Film Cast : Priyanka Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan, Anu Kapoor, Vivaan Shah, Aleksandr Dyachenko.
Film Release Date : 18 February 2011

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AR Rahman’s exhilarating RAAVAN

The AR Rahman-Mani Ratnam duo is back to mercilessly stimulate our ears. No sir, they indeed did not have enough with delighting us with Roja (1992), Bombay (1995), Dil Se (1998), Saathiya (2002), Yuva (2004) and Guru (2006). Raavan, Ratnam's latest, is creating expectation before its release with a soundtrack that is daring and sumptuous to say the least, tribal at its core and… let us cut to the chase and give you our take on each spine tingling track.

'Beera Beera' is the introduction of the film's main character and opens with Mustafa Kutoane's earthy Afro voice. Additional tribal and electronic voice effects are joined by the enthralling rhythm of clapping hands, drums, xylophone, bells and the hearty singing of Kirti Sagathia and Vijay Prakash. As soon as the promos of the film were out (refer to the video below), AR Rahman fans were glued to their earphones in approval of this track's excerpt, claiming him the most talented music alchemist of this modern era. Listen to the teaser for yourself and enjoy.

Second track, 'Behene De', plunges the listener into a dark but captivating musical journey. It features deliciously accurate vocals by Karthik, who some listeners might remember for his spunky rendition of song 'Behka' in 2008's hit film Ghajini. Not surprisingly, in this track Karthik succeeds in carrying the listener through soulful string arrangements and modern electric guitars with the same skillfulness, leaving us with only one wish, to hear more of him! As if this were not enough brilliance, Gulzar adds his golden touch to the song by painting with exquisitely deep words the doomed feeling of helpless love (refer to lyrics and their English translation here).

Following these splendid songs, 'Khilli Re' undusts sitar, tabla, tambourine and flute, providing a dreamy fusion of traditional Indian music and modern sounds which features the honeysweet voice of Reena Bhardwaj, previously acclaimed for her singing in Meenaxi. Her rendition of the melody lingers on well after you have listened to the entire album.

Next in line are 'Ranjha Ranjha' and 'Thok de Killi'. Despite the fact that 'Ranjha Ranjha' has 'Ghenda Phool's' (Delhi 6) star voice, Rekha Bhardwaj, at its forefront, and even though 'Thok de Killi' has a powerful masculine sound, these might well be the album's first tracks that you might have a difficulty warming up to as both songs feature a liberal use of synthesizers and electric guitars. One of AR Rahman's greatest assets is his will to experiment. That of Mani Ratnam's is to leave enough space for Rahman to go beyond his boundaries and create genius tracks. I still wonder if some listeners will believe that the composer has overstepped them in these particular two songs, but then again, only time and the film that inspired him will tell.

Closing the album, 'Kata Kata' is slightly reminiscent of AR Rahman's excellent work in films such as Mangal Pandey or Roja. A festive and euphoric chill will run down your spine as you listen to the track time and time again, discovering a voice here or a percussion there that you had not quite paid attention to before. Yes, you've got it, the track boasts such rich instrumentation that you are unlikely to ever tire of it. Ila Arun's Rajasthani rawness is mind blowing and will stir any remaining dormant cells.

Raavan is an intriguing and unpredictable soundtrack that promises to awaken audiences to the world of an equally effervescent being with 10 heads and 100 names... Get ready. Umeed ko aag laga zara (Set your hopes on fire).

Note: Seemingly, the Hindi version of the Raavan soundtrack shall sadly lack one song featuring the talent of Sonu Niigaam. The Tamil version of the song should be released soon in the Tamil soundtrack for the same film. Please refer to this post often as we shall provide updates.

Music: A.R.Rahman
Lyrics: Gulzar
Singers: Vijay Prakash, Mustafa, Mohamed Irfan, Karthik, Sukhwinder Singh, Am'Nico, Rekha Bhardwaj, Javed Ali, Reena Bhardwaj, Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi, Kunal Ganjawala
Soundtrack release: 23 April 2010
Label: T-Series
Buy ´Ravaan' music on Itunes

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