http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=161061
Colour coordinated Adman and lyricist Prasoon Joshi in an exclusive listening session of AR Rahman's just-released score of Rang De Basanti Lalitha Suhasini Lucknow, December 11: The face of McCann Erickson, India, says he is completely in awe of AR Rahman. ``Rahman doesn't really speak Hindi but he understands the sound of words. Sometimes we don't say a word but know exactly what we want from each other,'' says the lyricist. Rakyesh Mehra's Rang De Basanti is his first project with the south Indian composer. As he slides his copy of the earliest recorded CDs of the soundtrack into the player, the head rush is palpable. The title track sung by bhangra hellraiser Daler Mehndi, screams UK Asian underground, which ironically is no longer underground and is more the flavour of the London club scene all-year-round. ``I initially wanted to call the song Recipe but was told that it's too esoteric a title,'' says Joshi, ``The song describes the method to prepare basanti ka rang.'' Thodi si dhool...thodi si khushboo, read the lyrics. As Chitra joins in Daler, you know this one is undeniably a hit. Advertisement Can't say the same of Paatshaalaa campus-friendly number. The sound is a Fanaah hangover from Yuva, though Joshi's Hinglish wordplay is fresh`Chehron ki kitabe hain...mobile library.' In spite of Kisna's title track, Rahman's been taking quite a few knocks from Bollywood. But there's more than one song in this album that will ensure it goes places. Take Rubaroo sung by Naresh Iyer, his new find from Super Singers. The acoustic guitar-heavy, happy song should easily hit No 1 and stay there for a while. We have never heard one like this from Rahman before. Next on, there's a duet by Iyer again with Madhushree. The subdued violins work well, and Iyer just might turn out to be the most sought after voice for ghazals and romantic numbers. A south Indian Mumbai-bred teenager, there's thankfully no trace of the Tamilian accent in Iyer's rendition. Rahman gets behind the mike for Khalbali, a Bedouin frenzy of percussion instruments, including the chenda, the classical drum that accompanies a Kathakali performance. ``I had to come up with a word that sounded Arabic enough and yet portrayed the turbulence in the song,'' says Joshi of the funky, techno number. And there's the much-talked about Lata-Rahman duet. It's a fairly long score running into seven minutes, and Lata sounds remarkably light. Rahman has also understood her form wellthere are no lines that stretch or strain her voice to an unbearable length and pitch. ``It's set at the time of a son's funeral, and his mother is reminiscing of old times,'' reveals Joshi, who draws a parallel between the soul and a soaring kite in this one. But the song is far from a dirge. When the tabla and flute accompany the vocals, it might as well be a lullaby. Surprise, surprise. Joshi who's worked with Indi band Silk Route in the past (on the album Pehchaan) has roped in vocalist Mohit Chauhan in the eerie, minimalistic Khoon Chala. This is a track that is tailor-made for Lucky Ali, we tell him, but Joshi feels otherwise. One of the biggest challenges, sums up Joshi, has been reinventing Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna, originally written by Ram Prasad Bismil, in Lalkaar. ``It would be foolish to even attempt writing better than a revolutionary poet. But I can say I've done justice to it,'' he says. The album is a riot of sounds, and a must add to your Rahman collection. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Life without art & music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rG9bLB/dnQLAA/n1hLAA/iyUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
