Music Review: Thank You

Unlike Pritam’s other albums, this one fails to impress. Full Volume is the only song I would probably go back to and only because of its catchy tune. This album disappoints serious Pritam fans who expect memorable music from him.

Album: Thank You (2011)
Music Composers: Pritam
Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya, Ashish Pandit and Kumaar
Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo
Singers: Mika Singh

Pritam revisits the hit number from Jaanbaaz and gives it a fresh touch. Mika sings this with ease and I actually like this new version better. Foot tapping dance number which is sure to rock the charts.
Razia
Singers: Ritu Pathak and Master Salim

A song which can be labeled as an item song. An average song which didn’t evoke any emotion in me, may be the other guys will like it. A remixed version of this one is also just average.
Full Volume
Singers: Richa Sharma, Neeraj Shridhar, Hard Kaur

A comical take on the retro numbers where female singers used to sing with a nasal touch. Richa imitates the retro singing style beautifully and Neeraj is awesome too. The song is comical and has a very fast and catchy tune. I just love this song and I automatically start swaying whenever I listen to this. Needless to say, there is a remixed version.
My Heart is Beating
Singer: Sonu Nigam

Comedy seems to be the essence of this song too, with Sonu Nigam taking on the role of old male singers. He sings very similar to Mohd Rafi and I can imagine Joy Mukherjee or Shammi Kapoor dancing to Sonu’s voice. It’s good to listen to once, but it doesn’t remain with you.
Pyaar Mein
Singer: Neeraj Shridhar

The only serious song which is nothing special. This romantic song has a Spanish touch to it, with Neeraj singing brilliantly. Lyrics are just average.

Music Review: Patiala House

When the musician trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy compose music for a movie, you can expect atleast a few good tracks in the movie. And that is true for Patiala House which sees a mix of chart buster, mass appealing Punjabi songs and the soulful, slow songs which has its own niche audience. No matter what group of audience you are in, you will find the music of Patiala House appealing.

Album: Patiala House
Music Composers: Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy
Lyricist: Anvita Dutt Guptan

Laungda Lashkara
Singers: Hard Kaur, Jassi and Mahalaxmi Iyer

True to its name, Patiala House starts off with a catchy, Punjabi number. Foot-tapping music, catchy lyrics – this song will appear on all the dance reality shows for sure.

 

Kyun Main Jaagoon
Singers: Shafqat Amanat Ali

Just when you think Patiala House is going to be about Punjabi dance numbers, the composer trio surprises you with this slow, soulful song. Sung beautifully by Shafqat Amanat Ali, this one reminds me a lot of ‘Shukriya Zindagi’ from Ashayein. Shafqat is carving a niche for himself, singing these kind of songs and they suit him well too. His voice has that quality which provokes you to think and brood. Quite a few interesting lines in this song.

Raahein aisi jinki manzil hi nahin
Dhoondho mujhe ab main rehta hoon wahin
Dil hai kahin aur dhadkan hai kahin
Saansein hai magar kyun zinda main nahin

 

Role Pe Gaya
Singers: Hard Kaur, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Shankar Mahadevan

I was easing myself into the broody mood of the previous song when this jarring noise fell on my ears. I just find this song going horribly wrong. Irritating singing, noisy background music – this song just didn’t work for me.

 

Aadat Hai Voh
Singer: Vishal Dadlani

As if to compensate the torture you went through in the previous track, this melodious track comes across as a breath of fresh air. I love the words in this song. Here are some which I really liked.

Woh dekhe jidhar, dole neeyat udhar
Yeh mehka hunar, usne seekha kidhar
Usko banane wala, kuch kuch toh behka hoga
Jab bhi padi hogi nazar

 

Baby When You Talk To Me
Singers: Suraj Jagan and Alyssa Mendonsa

A catchy song which has a Western touch to it. A hummable tune and a mix of Hindi (or should I say Punjabi?) and English lyrics make this song interesting.

 

Tumba Tumba
Singer: Hans Raj Hans

Much to my surprise, I found myself enjoying this song. I am not a fan of Hans Raj Hans and his kind of songs, but this song has an edge to it. Foot-tapping music, catchy tune – this song will be a hit with the masses.

Aval Allah Noor Upaya
Singer: Richa Sharma

When you see Richa Sharma’s name on the singer’s list, your expectations automatically raise high. Someone who has given soulful Sufi songs disappoints you with this one. It’s not the singing, but the lacklustre song. I expected a lot more from the trio and Richa Sharma.

 

Music Review: Tanu Weds Manu

It’s been a while since I reviewed any music on this blog. One reason for that is I was extremely busy in life and second, I didn’t listen to any songs worth reviewing. In my opinion, 2010 was disappointing for Bollywood film and music industry. 2011 looks promising if the last few movies are anything to go by. Tanu Weds Manu caught my eye (or should I say ear) as something fresh and experimental.

Sadi Gali
Singer: Lehmber Hussainpuri
Music Composer: RDB

This is the only song which I did not like. Yes, you read that right, I did not like this song. I know many of you are clacking your tongues and saying I don’t have a good taste in music, but that’s ok. I did not like this song. Period.

Yun Hi
Singers: Mohit Chauhan and Ujjaini Mukherjee
Music Composer: Krsna

Krsna makes his debut as a music composer and he proves his ability from the very first song. This is a very passionate, romantic song by Mohit Chauhan. This song is so perfect for Mohit, it’s as if Krsna composed it keeping Mohit in mind as a singer. I sometimes find Mohit’s pronunciation irritable – he pronounces Hindi words as if he is talking foreign languauge – and it is very evident in this song, especially the word ‘dafe’. Someone is got to teach him how to pronounce words right. Ujjaini Mukherjee provides her support to this song in the background with her alaap, which is not much and can be easily missed. Isn’t she the same one who participated in some singing reality show? Lyrics are interesting!

Piya Na Rahe Man Basiya
Singer:
Music Composer: Krsna

The song opens with a beautiful piece and sets a classical mood. The song is semi-classical and is sung passionately by Krsna. I applaud his courage to include such kind of song in this album when the rage is all about Punjabi and item songs. A very soft, touching song.

Rangrez
Singers: Wadali Brothers
Music Composer: Krsna

A rhythmic, catchy song which is almost a Qawali. I say almost Qawali because the usual elements of the chorus and the hand-clapping is missing. Sung beautifully by Wadali Brothers, Krsna tries to deliver a different kind of song in the album. There is another version sung by Krsna himself, but the charm of Wadali Brothers is something else.

Mannu Bhaiyya
Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan, Ujjaini Mukherjee, Niladri Debnath
Music Composer: Krsna

A catchy, typical item-song kind sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. Is she shining or what? The way she modulates her voice and how her singing oozes with expression – it’s a pleasure to hear her sing. Ujjaini and Niladri provide the needed support in the background. This song is not one of my favorites, but I can see it quickly climbing up the charts.

Jugni
Singer: Mika Singh
Music Composer: Krsna

A Punjabi sung which is surely going to top the charts. I don’t know why Krsna had to include this song in the album after such gems like ‘Piya’ and ‘Rangrez’, but I guess you have to please the masses!

After a long time, I heard some great music which made me blog about it. I hope the rest of the year churns out equally good music, if not better.

Shukriya Zindagi

Song: Shukriya Zindagi
Album: Aashayein
Singer: Shafqat Amanat Ali
Music Director: Salim – Sulaiman
Lyrics: Mir Ali Husain

It’s very rare when a song like this comes along. Shukriya Zindagi is a song which makes you sit up and take notice. I listened to it with utmost fascination the first time and I keep going back to this song again and again.

The music is definitely great. Coming from Salim-Sulaiman, you can’t expect anything less. The song comes in 2 versions – original and remixed and for once, I liked both the songs. The singing is out of the world. Again, Shafqat Amanat Ali is a proven name and this song takes him to another level of singing altogether. The best part of the song is the lyrics. The song puts you in a contemplative mood. The song talks about one of the most ignored emotion – gratitude. It teaches us to be thankful to what we already have instead of complaining about what we want. This is put across in such simple words that it leaves a strong impression on your mind. There is a line in the song which roughly means ‘What can I complain about my life, I am so busy enjoying it, I don’t have time to complain’. (The actual words: Kya shikaayat karein, fursat kahaan) This world would be so much better if we all had this attitude towards life. Some more lines which I loved: Sirf ik rang se tasveer hoti kahin, Gham nahi toh khushi ki keemat nahi Why don’t I just add the entire song? Here you go.

Shukriya Zindagi

Chan ke aayi toh kya chaandni toh mili
Chan ke aayi toh kya chaandni toh mili
Chand din hi sahi yeh kali to khili
Shukriya zindagi
Teri meharbaaniyan, teri meharbaaniyan
Shukriya zindagi

Sirf ik rang se tasveer hoti kahin
Gham nahi toh khushi ki keemat nahi
Sirf ik rang se tasveer hoti kahin
Gham nahi toh khushi ki keemat nahi
Dhoop chaaon hain dono toh dilkash jahaan
Kya shikaayat karein, fursat kahaan
Shukriya zindagi
Teri mehrbaaniyan, teri mehrbaaniyan
Shukriya zindagi

Apni taqdeer ki hai yeh daastaan
Kabhi qatilaana, kabhi meharbaan
Apni taqdeer ki hai yeh daastaan
Kabhi qatilaana, kabhi meharbaan
Meharbaani jo dil ko karaar aa gaya
Apne qaatil pe bhi pyaar aa gaya
Shukriya zindagi
Teri mehrbaaniyan, teri mehrbaaniyan
Shukriya zindagi

Sad version:

Aaj kismat yahaan, hum ko layi toh hai
Ek lamha sahi muskurayi toh hai
Shamma bujhi hai toh kya gila
Bujhta wohi hai jo tha jala
Shukriya zindagi

If you don’t understand Hindi, here is the meaning of this song.

Music Review: I Hate Luv Storys

This is the latest offering from Karan Johar’s production house. He teams up with a debut director Punit Malhotra to give us this romantic movie which stars Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor. The pair comes together for the first time and the stills look good. Let’s see how the movie turns out. KJo has been generous in experimenting with new directors, but he hasn’t shown the same courage for music composition. He plays safe and uses tried and tested composers like Shankar-Ehsan-Loy and Vishal-Shekhar. He should try to give a break to someone new. The music industry needs some fresh air, don’t you think?

Album: I Hate Luv Storys
Music Composer: Vishal-Shekhar


Jab Mila Tu
Singer: Vishal Dadlani
Lyrics: Anvita Dutt

The album has a promising start. This is a very catchy and peppy number. Vishal’s husky voice adds a charm to this song. The chorus ‘Ru Tu Ru Tu’ grows on you and you can’t stop tapping your feet. A youthful number which will surely be a hit with the crowd. There are some interesting lines in this song like ‘Jaise gaane aur nazam se, sur ko hi chura le’.


Bin Tere
Singers: Shafqat Amanat Ali, Sunidhi Chauhan
Lyrics: Vishal Dadlani

Vishal is trying his hand at different things. He has penned the words for this song. Shafqat and Sunidhi come together for this beautiful number. This is a typical Shafqat number and he is totally at home with this. This song draws your attention immediately and holds it till the end.


I Hate Luv Storys
Singer: Vishal Dadlani
Lyrics: Kumaar

Another song sung by Vishal. This title song is apt for discos and dances. A fast paced song which will be a hit in reality shows too.


Bahara
Singers: Shreya Ghoshal, Sona Mohapatra
Lyricist: Kumaar

A cute, romantic number which is Shreya’s forte. She uses her sweet voice and modulates it well to convey the romance and mushy love. Sona’s rustic voice adds texture to this song.


Sadka Hua
Singers: Suraj Jagan, Mahalaxmi Iyer
Lyrics: Anvita Dutt

Suraj Jagan sings this amazingly well. I had not heard him before and he is good. Another hummable song which may not top the charts but will be listened to by core lovers.


Bin Tere – Reprise
Singers: Shekhar Ravjiani
Lyrics: Vishal Dadlani

Another version of the same song and I liked this one better than the other one. This is quieter and less noisy. There is another remix version of the original song and I just don’t like it at all.


Bahara
Singers: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Lyricist: Kumaar

A great way to end the album. Khan saab sings the same song but it sounds so different. With due respect to Shreya, I like Khaan saab’s rendition better.


Vishal-Shekhar give us some good songs in this album. Some songs will be liked instantly, while some will take time to grow on you.



Music Review: Rajneeti

The much hyped and much talked about music album is here. Though Prakash Jha is not well known for the music in his movies, I was eager to see what he had to offer in his latest movie. A bunch of music composers have come together and contributed a song to this album. Rajneeti is a serious movie, so one can expect some serious music.

Bheegi si Bhaagi si
Music Composer: Pritam
Singers: Antara Mitra, Mohit Chauhan
Lyrics: Irshad Kamiil

The album opens with a Pritam number. It’s sung by Mohit Chauhan who does complete justice to the song and he is accompanied by Antara Mitra, who was last seen in Indian Idol 2 and Junoon. Her voice seems modulated in this – very heavily. I guess that is very common these days, huh? The song does not have a Pritam’s impression on it. Very mediocre song and easily forgettable.


More Piya
Music Composer: Aadesh Shrivastava
Singers: Aadesh Shrivastava, Shashi & Rosalie Nicholson
Lyrics: Sameer

Aadesh Shrivastava is back and how! A melodious song which is classical based and has western beats. Aadesh is the composer and the singer and he is excellent in both. His rendition of the song is just touching. Possibly the best song of the album. This song is remixed in a trance mix and is sung by Kavita Seth. I am not a big fan of remixed songs and I did not like this one either. The original song is much better.


Ishq Barse
Music Composer: Shantanu Moitra
Singers: Pronob Biswas, Hamsika Iyer, Swanand Kirkire
Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire

A very different song from the Moitra-Kirkire clan. They are known for giving us melodious, meaningful songs which are pleasant on the ears, but this song is totally different. It is a fast trapping song which can be considered as an item number. Hamsika Iyer lends her voice to this song and does a good job. Interesting lyrics by Kirkire, as always. Trust him to use words like ‘atkan matkan’, ‘boondan boondan’ and ‘dahi’ in an item number!


Dhan Dhan Dharti
Music Composer: Shankar Mahadevan
Singers: Shankar Mahadevan
Lyrics: Gulzar

This contemplative song, composed and sung by Shankar Mahadevan is a call to the soul indeed. The words are Gulzar saab’s and no need to say anything about him, right? The song is not all that great. Mahadevan has given us better songs.


This is not a music album which will stay with music lovers for long. Though talented music composers have come together for this album, they fail to impress. Listen to the song to decide for yourself.

Music Review: Paathshaala

Album: Paathshaala (2010)
Music Composer: Hanif Shaikh
Lyrics: Hanif Shaikh

Indian Idol 5 is on. Some talented singers are already showcased on the show. I am looking forward to the actual show and I know it will be delightful to watch. During one of the audition rounds, I heard a song in the background ‘Aye Khuda Mujhko Bata’ – it was so captivating that I had to listen to it again. A quick google told me it is a song from Paathshaala, sung by none other than Salim Merchant (he is one of the judges in Indian Idol 5). I listened to the other songs in this movie and all of them are listenable.

Aye Khuda Mujhko Bata
Singer: Salim Merchant

A quiet but intense number with some beautiful words. Salim has sung this one from his heart and it shows. A simple tune, but strong words – what a combination. Hanif Shaikh takes the credit for composing the music and for writing the words. Awesome!

Bekarar
Singer: Lucky Ali

After a hiatus, Lucky Ali is back and how. This is a typical Lucky Ali song. This may not be the best song in the album, but still good.

Mujhe Teri Aankhon Ki Gehrayi Mein Doobne De
Singers: Tulsi Kumar and Hanif Shaikh

As if composing music and writing songs was not enough, Hanif Shaikh takes up singing in this song and he does complete justice. Tulsi Kumar gives him the right company. Her husky voice is so different and comes as a breath of fresh air. Hanif has a nasal tone which adds its own charm to the song. A very different kind of song with a very catchy tune. Even the words are fresh. Here is an excerpt.

Har zarre mein, har jagah mein mehsoos karti hoon main
Ik tujhko hi haan tujhko hi mehfuz rakhti hoon main
Khayalon mein, dil mein, meri saanson mein
Gungunati hoon tujhko har baat mein

Teri Marzi Aye Khuda
Singer: Kailash Kher

A fitting climax to a great album. Kailash Kher does complete justice to this song which has Sufi nuances. Hanif is our man again – composer and lyricist.

With so many movies released in the past few weeks, this album was not noticed well. Hope music lovers notice it and listen to it.