Album Reviews Yuvvraaj Recommended by AV Max You will love it for it is very unlike the Bollywood stuff that you usually listen to
A.R.Rahman Gulzar T-Series What's it about Subhash Ghai, the man behind musical blockbusters such as Karz, Hero, Ram Lakhan, Pardes and Taal moulds one more from his factory. Yuvvraaj essentially narrates the take of the arrogance and overconfidence of the modern youth. It has Salman as the dreamy singer and Katrina a leading musician, while Anil Kapoor swears to enjoy classical music. All that this premise now needs is a conductor who could add some magic. Enter, the maestro who has left an indelible mark on the melody scene, A.R.Rahman who adds his signature and the rest is history. Music If you ever wanted to know how music could transcend the experience of watching a movie, pick up a few from Subhash Ghai's extensive list. A marvel like A.R.Rahman can buckle up even a weak script with a melody that lifts the bar and Ghai knows that. Yuvvraaj sets the stage for a grandeur (sic) orchestral performance passionately loaded with emotions that leave you spellbound. When put together, their cognition of music is well implemented. When put together, their cogniton of music is well implemented and sometimes the latter ends up giving you some unusual but interesting compositions like 'Mastam mastam'. Lyrics Gulzar makes you dream, realise and also succeeds in making you fall in love again but in a world that is so dramatic and extravagant to believe, 'Aaja main khalaon mein uthake le chaloon' as the lyricist would say. As people have observed about Rahman's style of coining one catch word that bounces people's imagination. This time that could very well be 'Shano' and among its many connotations, one of them means 'wise' or someone who has a deep understanding. Most songs are certainly a lyrical delight and live up to the charm. 'Dil Ka Rishta' and 'Shano' are dabbed with English verses by Blaaze which also gives it the contemporary feel. Vocals The credit list reads talent like Shreya Ghoshal, Naresh Iyer, Srinivas among others and they don't let you down. Sonu Nigam who was last seen with a similar orchestral projects has taken back to his singing proficiency. The track 'Mastam' which sees commotion in orchestral arrangements makes so many noises in the backgound and had it not been for Sonu who audaciously holds the vocals, this song would have ended up as a disaster. So also, the brilliant interspersing of classical sargams in western notations has rarely been treated so well in the Bollywood scene. Javed Ali and Vijay Prakash infuse life in 'Tu Muskura' and 'Manmohini Morey'. The justified use of chorus and chants and falsettos only add essence to the lead vocals. Orchestration Subhash Ghai loves it big and takes every effort to ensure the theme music of his movies echoes in the minds of the audience even years after it has been made and forgotten. Yuvvraaj has used everything from percussions, bass guitars, piano to cellos and mandolin to create that extravaganza a musical demands. The violin play at the opening of 'Tu Muskura' is a soothing relief. So is the mouth organ in 'Zindagi'. The remix version of 'Shano' is not an idiotic remix but surprisingly represents an altogether different genre. Recording The album has been recorded and mixed at the AM Studios. The use of reverbs are captured well on the recording. However the details on the guyitar and vocals seem to be missing in some tracks. A difficult job would be to identify the use of the myriad instruments in the background. Also, the track 'Shano' doesn't establish good bass levels. Sum Up The songs of Yuvvraaj are not done keeping the average listener in mind. One reason, why a lot of people may dismiss some of it as dragging and long. But play it a couple of times and you will realise that only a dedicated lover of music could have related to such extravagant and lavish music at the first listen. But eventually you will love it very unlike the Bollywood stuff that you usually listen to. Tracks to experience Shano Shano Mastam Mastam Dil Ka Rishta Ratings Overall rating 4/5 Music 4/5 Lyrics 3.5/5 Vocals 4/5 Orchestration 4/5 Recording 3/5 Divya Nair AV Max, November 2008
