Music Review - YUVVRAAJ http://www.loknews.com/2008/10/16/0647/music-review-yuvvraaj/
By Parampreet Singh Sandhu <http://www.loknews.com/author/parampreet/> • Oct 16th, 2008 • Category: Entertainment<http://www.loknews.com/category/entertainment/> *Music: A. R. Rahman* *Lyrics: Gulzar* YUVVRAAJ started creating buzz as soon as the first teasers started hitting the airways. This is arguably the most anticipated soundtrack and movie of 2008. The Subhash Ghai <http://www.loknews.com/tag/subhash-ghai/> – A. R. Rahman duo only came together once before this venture and were responsible for creating an epic masterpiece<http://www.loknews.com/tag/epic-masterpiece/>that stretched beyond anyone's imagination. The album was TAAL, and where the late Anand Bakshi blessed the listeners with his soulful lyrics, Gulzar will grace us this time with his insightful poetry in YUVVRAAJ. Like its predecessor, the story of YUVVRAAJ is based on music, forcing the songs to be play even a more important role than usual. Salman Khan starts off the introduction to the album with a small monologue while Beethoven's 5th is played in the background, titled 'Main Hoon Yuvvraaj'. From the get go its fair to assume the music in the movie will be based from the west, rather than traditional Indian themes<http://www.loknews.com/tag/indian-themes/> . Rahman begins with a very promising start in 'Tu Meri Dost Hain' (Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghosal <http://www.loknews.com/tag/shreya-ghosal/>, A. R. Rahman). As soon as the violins make their entry, the heavily western classical based song takes a Rahman turn for the good. Benny Dayal (another prodigy of the maestro) is bearable, but is too reminiscent of Sonu Nigam. Had the Sonu effect been in place instead of Benny, little Rafi would have added an entirely new dynamic, taking the song to greater heights. Shreya Ghosal maintains her voice well without reaching the higher pitches that sometimes deter listeners from her. Rahman's vocals come towards the end with very little effect. The composition suits Gulzar's lyrics perfectly. The beauty and impact behind one of the most prolific writers<http://www.loknews.com/tag/prolific-writers/>of the modern era is showcased very well. If the first song left you completely vulnerable, hoping for a historic caliber album; then get ready to be crushed! 'Shano Shano' (Sonu Nigam, Srinivas, Karthik, Timmy, Sunaina, Vivienne Pocha, Tina) strays away from the romantic feel, offering those young whiper snappers a song to 'get on the floor' and dance to. Rahman has been successful in the past when utilizing synthesizers for dance tracks ('O Humdum Suniyo Re' from SAATHIYA), but at times 'Shano Shano' comes off as a cheap 80s pop number. There was no point of having Sonu Nigam contribute to this song, he had a minimal part and got drained by all the other singers. Another negative was Rahman blatantly using snippets of a previously recorded song, 'Chori Pe Chori', from SAATHIYA. Retracting back to the original theme set by 'Tu Meri Dost Hain', Alka Yagnik comes together with Javed Ali in 'Tu Muskura' for another romantic duo. The last thing you want to do after listening to this track is smile. For those who don't want to see their heroic composer fall deeper into the mediocrity pool and eventually drown, then either throw the CD out or skip back to 'Tu Meri Dost Hain'. 'Mastam Mastam' brings Sonu Nigam with Alka Yagnik and again makes this album tougher to swallow. Alka was once the most sought after female singer, but in the last few years her stock has declined drastically, paving the way for the Shreya Ghosals and Sunidhi Chauhans. Srinivas has not been able to establish himself in Bollywood, but is a power house for the Southern film industries. He adds his S. P. Balasubramanium-esque voice for a slow paced tune, 'Zindagi'. There's nothing original in terms of the composition, Gulzar's lyrics are the only positive. Along with 'Tu Meri Dost Hain', 'Dil Ka Rishta' (Sonu Nigam, Roop Kumar Rathod, A. R. Rahman) is the only other track that's worth paying attention to. It seems more of a situational song that comes at a pivotal moment in the movie. Chances are this will be used as a background piece for a climatic event. The singers don't make or break this song, it purely survives on the composition. This is whats expected of A. R. Rahman, not the previous tracks! A song with the most amount of potential is 'Manmohini Morey', where Vijay Prakesh goes about his classical singing style with new age beats from Rahman. This would have been a highly touted piece had Rahman put some effort into incorporating classical instruments instead of relying on the synthesizer. Krishna Chetan concludes the album with 'Shano Remix ft Ember'. This is a true remix, not just a faster track laid over the original song (which most opt out for because its easier). This hip hop number is a lot slower than the original from Rahman, but establishes a very unique sound of its own. The last time I was this disappointed was when I found out there was no Santa Claus (that was three weeks ago by the way); and that Indians don't even celebrate Christmas (how am I supposed to get pony I asked for…Diwali?). It seems after Rahman made 'Tu Meri Dost Hain' he phoned in for the remainder of the time. Its painful to see such a talented person degrade themselves and compose utter garbage for what was supposed to be one of the biggest events of the year. Does Rahman think that no matter what he gives to the public it'll be a hit? This is a complete waste of time and money, don't bother picking this up. All you Rahmaniacs out there please stay away from this one! It's below the standards of anything Rahman has composed in the past (that includes the few songs he did in KISNA). Key Tracks: 'Tu Meri Dost Hain', 'Shano Remix', 'Dil Ka Rishta'. Rating: 2 stars out of 5
