Nice to see a good review, but I see anti ARR elements at work there again trying to put the collective rating down.
--- In [email protected], Sreekrishnan R <rahmanfe...@...> wrote: > > http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayReview.php?id=m091009030449 > > > Reviewed by: Ankit Ojha - Rating: 9.0 / 10 > > > There are some musicians who turn out to be one-time wonders. There are > some who have a fluctuating career graph â" all the time. There are > some, who, after getting the required fame, forget how to compose. And > there are some who have a never-say-die-attitude, and always compose > with passion and hard work, something that strikes gold and pays rich > dividends every time their album releases. Unfortunately, composers in > the fourth and last group are rare to find in the music industry. > > > Fortunately though, A.R. Rahman is included in that list. > > > And the results are there for us to see â" right from Roja to the Oscars for > the best soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire, > his career graph has always shown an upward trend, what with a few dips > here and there, but that doesnât matter anymore. With the only Rahman > release in 2009 being Delhi-6, one eagerly awaits the soundtrack of Blue with > bated breath. Expectations break the sky-high limit due to the > Oscar tag associated with A.R. Rahman, as also the wonderful > soundtracks he has given his fans in 2008 (a bumper year for both him > and his fans, what with six albums releasing back to back every three > months â" Jodhaa Akbar, Jaane Tu⦠Ya Jaane Na, Ada, Yuvvraaj, Slumdog > Millionaire, and Ghajini). So does one get what he expects from this album? > Read on to find out. > Sensuous cooing, backed by the right pads and synth loops > strikes all the right notes to addict the listener right from the word > âGoâ for the bumper opener of this soundtrack, Chiggy Wiggy, > which turns out to be an experiment (albeit highly successful) from the > composerâs side, presented to us. Australian pop sensation Kylie > Minogue turns out to be a powerhouse performer for the first half of > the song which is backed by the right set of beats that will make the > listener groove to the track from the opening beats. Categorised under > the Pop/R&B category, the first half of the song turns out to be a > winner hands down, while the second half takes a sudden Bhangra twist, > bringing in Sonu Nigam into the picture. > > > The latter manages to give the right impact to the song, which > suddenly morphs from Western to Indian, though it still doesnât lose on > the addictiveness factor. In fact, itâs the second half which might > turn out to have some detractors from the urban audience, even it would > grow over them after sometime. In fact, it can be a vice-versa > situation for the rural crowd in India. > > Suzanne provides ample backing vocals to this song, however her > efforts might go in vain, as people would tend to think that it is > Kylie who is singing. Lyrics by Abbas Tyrewala turn out to be > innovative; nobody would really do something as pitching in semi-Urdu > lyrics into a subtle Bhangra beat - which he manages brialliantly to do > with this song. > > > Overall, this one turns out to be a seriously mind-blowing > number, and for some, might require a few hearings for the song to > completely envelope them into addictiveness. In the end, the song will > manage to conquer the hearts of all; it is just a matter of time. > > > Speaking about conquering hearts, it is Shreya Ghoshal who does exactly that > (and some more) for the song Aaj Dil Gustakh Hai, > which has the composerâs stamp all over it. It shows; be it the melody > or the beat, or the synthesizer or the pads even for once you donât > feel that Rahman has deviated from his version of âthe > lighthearted-cum-intense romantic trackâ, which is a good news, as it > is this very style of his that really captures the imaginations of > millions of fans around the world. Coming back to Shreya and her new > sensuous vocal avatar, her voice totally floors you. > Sukhwinder Singh doesnât disappoint either, he delivers yet > another hit with the composer (who has inadvertently used Singh in many > of his successful soundtracks). Lyrics by Mayur Puri (who probably > makes a first-time collaboration with the renowned composer) are > contemporary and simple enough to understand â" which is exactly what is > required to connect with the youth of today. Ghoshalâs crooning leaves > you open-mouthed and out of breath, and makes a nice vocal duo with > Singh. The intense feel of the song hasnât been compensated, > considering its lighthearted feel. All that the listeners have to do to > feel the song is to sit in a dark room, close their eyes and let the > music play its magic on their ears. This turns out to be yet another > winner from Rahman after âChiggy Wiggyâ. > After his fantastic classical outing in âManmohini Moreyâ from Yuvvraaj, > Vijay Prakash is back in yet another Rahman song, Fiqrana, > which is a fun song, that hooks you right from the auto-cut guitar pads > that open the song before Prakashâs vocals surround the ears of the > listener. And the moment the beats start, you know you are helplessly > drawn to the song and canât let go of it â" or is it the other way > round? Is the song drawing you to it and wonât let go of you? > > > Complexity aside, this one is yet another sensational > revelation from the musical genius, that completely sweeps you off your > feet. Shreya Ghoshalâs supporting vocals strike the right chord and > make the listener want more from the song. Lyrics of the song by Rajat > Arora (âTere Nainaâ from Chandni Chowk To China) accentuate its fun feel. > Unfortunately, even the whopping 5 minutes and 24 seconds isnât enough! > > > Prakash sings clearly without stumbles, and shows that his > talent isnât just restricted to classical music, though there are > slight inclinations that are present in the song. Another aspect of the > song that makes it superior is its effects â" which are not really > overdone and used at the right places. The sonic-sound effect given to > Prakash at some places, compiled with other effects like the flanging > and echo gives just the right pumped-up feel to the song â" something > that takes the song to another level altogether. This one turns out to > be another ace in the whole pack of seven cards â" or songs. > > > The trademark âRahmanâ orchestration is back in this unexpectedly soft > number titled Bhoola Tujhe that makes us reminiscent of âMeherbaanâ from > Ada and 'Kahin Toh' from Jaane Tu⦠Ya Jaane Na, > though this song is completely dissimilar from the aforementioned > songs. In fact, this one is a standout number and has all the emotional > prowess that one can pack in a song. Credit should go to Rashid Ali for > singing his heart out, pouring out all the emotions into the listenerâs > ear, elevating the latter as a result. A.R. Rahman returns to basics: > which he won many hearts and fans â" soft and melodious songs, with > heart-rending lyrics by Tyrewala. > > > Opening with âtheâ orchestration, which sets the mood of the > song, subtle beats get into the picture, with Rashid Aliâs sensitive > vocals. Seeped into melancholy, the lyrics totally give new meaning to > the song (Bhoola Tujhe Kaise Kahaa, Hua Tujhse Kab Judaa, Yaa Khuda⦠Yehi > Hai jo Malik Teri Raza, Teri Aazmaaish hai Yaa Sazaaâ¦), > and the end result is there for all of us to hear. The âfeelâ and > âemotionâ of the song is so powerful that it might make the listener > shed a tear or two. Rahman does it yet again â" this one makes for four > spellbinding tracks in the album so far. This one has all the potential > to make the Rahmanâs fans excited, and music lovers in particular go > ga-ga about the song. In one word â" magical! > The 'Khallballi' from Rang De Basanti feel is back with this power-packed > Blue Theme. > Though not one bit like âKhalballiâ, this one turns out to be a winner > right from the start for the fantastic arrangements the song has in > store for the listener. The eclectic group of six singers â" Blaaze, > Sonu Kakkar, Raqueeb Alam, Dilshad, Neha Kakkar, and Jaspreet Singh â" > provides amply power-packed vocals required for a song such as this > one. > > > And the surprise revelation comes in the form of Blaaze > singing! The best part of the song is its constantly energetic feel, > which resonates in your whole body for the time you listen to the song > (and after as well). By the end, the tempo increases a few notches > above normal and reaches its peak at the very end, when the songs > starts to fade. At last, when you hear the shout of Blue on > reverb, you know youâre going to listen to it again. Yet another > exceptional ditty in Rahmanâs kitty! Did I actually rhyme the two? Wow! > > > Melody and the âtrademark Rahmanâ feel is back with Rehnuma, > this one featuring Shreya Ghoshal, who gets to eat more three-fourths > of the cake; which means that she gets to sing in most part of the > song. And rest assured, when she sings, your hair starts to stand, and > once she starts crooning âQaatil Adaaâ in her seductive avatar. > > > The song relies more or less on the heavy orchestration that > Rahman constantly uses for such songs â" a recipe that guarantees > complete success for the song. Sonu Nigam is relegated to the backseat > (this is completely Shreyaâs song). Tyrewala comes back for the lyrics > of this one, which are fresh and innovative (Oh Fida⦠Khatam, Fanaa⦠Meri > Chaahat Mein Tuuâ¦). Starting with Jazz and Blues, it moves forward into the > 'Dil Ka Rishta' from Yuvvraaj mode with similar arrangements. And though one > might find some > similarity between the two songs, they end up being completely > different, because the song from the Subhash Ghaiâs movie had an > auditorium ambience, whereas this one in particular has that intense > feel, but takes out the stage equation from it. This turns out to be > another novel track which will probably be in the minds of the fans and > music lovers for a long time to come. > > > Just like the opener, the album closes with yet another bang titled Yaar Mila > Tha. > And with experienced singers like Udit Narayan and Sujata Bhattacharya > (also known as Madhushree to the world) coming together for a song, > expectations rise sky-high. But guess what? This one delivers, and how! > At the start, one starts to wonder if the track is going to be any > good, but as the song starts progressing, second-by-second, and the > beats start, you will be completely blown away by the feel of the song. > The arrangements (yet again) are something to talk about â" watch out > for the synthesized Shehnai, and the delicate piano in the background. > The beats are eclectic and electrifying, and, coupled with the > percussions, make for just the right sound and that rare experiment > which clicks, and keeps growing over you after each listen. > > > Abbas Tyrewala is back, and has written up some really > interesting lyrics, that keep up with its upbeat feel. Udit Narayanâs > vocals are a treat to hear, and the enhanced sonic-sound effect given > to the vocals enhance the overall playful, upbeat attire. Madhushree is > a talent to watch out for. She has a simply scintillating voice that > really attracts the listener into hearing her even more. Right from the > time she has started singing, she has always been choosy with her > assignments, and whatsoever song she has picked till date has always > been a magical treat for her fans to hear. Overall, this song is the > perfect end to an album that, one wishes, should have gone on and on. > Keeping in consideration the theme of the movie, Rahman has > managed to create and give a power-packed feel to the soundtrack, but > that doesnât mean heâs left out on the quality factor; with songs like > âBhoola Tujheâ and âRehnumaâ, Rahman also gives his fans what they > really want. And it is refreshing to hear some catchy, energetic tunes > that are not synonymous with Bhangra and Soft rock, which have become > stalemate now, what with every composer wanting to do a âRock On!' or a > âMauja Hi Maujaâ these days. A must buy! > > > Reviewerâs tip: Donât judge the album by the first listen; some songs > take time to grow on the listener. > > > Rahman fever > His Music ~ My Mother Tongue > > > Love Cricket? Check out live scores, photos, video highlights and more. > Click here http://cricket.yahoo.com >
