"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaguuuuuuumein...........Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaloooooooooooo...................!!
Uh E E E Oh......Uh E E E Oh......oho ho ho ho ho......
..........as soon as I heard these sounds as the first few seconds of "Beera"
rolled on, I knew from the get-go that this album would be a very interesting
music journey.....but then again, which ARR album is not an interesting
journey, whether it fits your musical fancy or not?
I've been listening to the music of Raavan pretty much non stop for a few days
now and as I came to thinking about how my review would shape up, it occurred
to me that a full song by song review as I have penned earlier just didn't seem
apt for an album like this, especially for such an unconventional score and
that too so soon after the release. I also feel that Raavan's musical strength
and identity lies more in the album as a whole than as a collection of
individual songs. I also feel I have formed enough of a solid opinion on the
album as a whole to write at least something of substance. Will my thoughts
and opinions change with time from this point on? In the past, this usually
never happened........what I have felt about an album a few days after its
release after multiple listens usually stayed firm over the course of time,
although my feelings for individual songs may fluctuate with time. A song by
song review for this album has been stated already elsewhere and will be seen
quite a bit in the coming days, so I thought.......been there.......done
that.......let's take a different approach this time......shall we?
Some things never change........or maybe.....the more things change, the more
they stay the same? I wonder about these sayings......and then think about
Rahman and his music. What has changed with Rahman over time? What has
remained constant with his output over the years ever since Roja? I think I
can get into some intellectual back and forth about this to no end and have
full debates with many of you here, but here's one aspect about Rahman that has
remained constant from the very beginning:
Rahman Keeps Experimenting.
Sure, you know that......I know that.......most hard fans of ARR know this, but
do some of you who pine for the "90s Rahman" to return realize that his current
success domestically and internationally (oodles of awards, praises, Padma
Bhushan) is because he looks forwards and not backwards? He is a man of the
moment......attempting to reinvent himself with every project and being careful
not to trip over his own ego, literally, wanting to destroy any trace of good
feelings related to previous successes, clearing the slate for the new movie,
new director, new story.
Rahman is like a "mad" scientist ("mad" meant to convey a good quality, not a
bad one) in his own musical world......thinking, thinking, thinking......out of
the box, beyond current norms, stretching the limits of imagination and
creativity through his work, yet very respectful towards the art form and the
industry establishment and rules surrounding the need to make music that only
fits the script and the director's vision......like a free painter within a
very solid frame that he knows he's not supposed to go beyond. But, some
frames are larger than others, and within those larger frames, Rahman has more
wiggle room to be a bit more wild, more like the mad musical scientist that he
really is, that is just craving to burst forth. Mani Ratnam has always been
one of those directors who provides a pretty large canvass and/or frame for
Rahman to stretch his musical brain so to speak.
Raavan's music as a whole is a great example of unconventionality in today's
film music time, with bridges extending forth connecting various genres of
music, such as heavy rock to traditional Indian folk, electronic to African
rhythms and tribal moods, semi classical to trance, etc. Although these
unconventional bridges are not new to Rahman's style of music, Raavan's
soundtrack displays these connectors in much less subtle and unpredictable form
than his most recent works, such as Delhi 6 or VTV, which is perhaps keeping
fit with the character of the movie, Raavan, who with ten heads/minds and being
"wild" and "unpredictable" as quoted by Aishwarya Rai at the music launch.
Rahman's albums have always had elements of unconventionality.....it's what
made him so successful and continues to keep him so relevant. However, I view
each of his albums as distinct points in a larger journey, connected only by
the listeners' memories and expectations.....single album entities within a
larger musical and spiritual journey that is entirely Rahman's, but yet
witness-able to us, those who follow him closely. I think it's reasonable to
rate each album on a conventionality continuum plot with highly traditional on
one end and radical on another. For example, Thiruda Thiruda would be closer
to the radical side, while Jaane Tu Ya Jaana Na more on the traditional side.
To me, Raavan falls more on the unonventional/radical side of the continuum,
but yet, having strong elements of mass appeal and conventionality contained
within. Tracks like "Khili Re" and "Ranjha" are examples of the more
traditional emphasis.
When I judge a Rahman album as a whole, there are certain key elements that I
look for to base my judgement: Sound, sound quality, melody, innovativeness and
originality, arrangement depth and complexity, instrumentation range, variety
of style and genre, variety of mood, rhythmic appeal, singing, lyrics. I feel
that the music of Raavan scores high in all these areas. But, really the most
important determination for me is the emotional impact.........how I feel after
listening to each song or after the album has completed.......do I feel
uplifted? Soothed? Inspired? So far, the music of Raavan leaves me energized
and uplifted...leaves me with very good, positive feelings at the end, despite
the heavy, dark nature of some of the tracks. Here are some key thoughts about
the album from me:
The Positives:
- Huge range of sound and musical forms......very multi-genre, showcasing
ARR's tremendous range and versatility in compositional style and content.
- Sound quality is fantastic......"Blue's" issues are history.
- Each song has a very strong identity that leaves you with a different
feeling.....the emotions in each song are strong and concentrated, packing a
punch. A very impactful album.
- Singing and lyrics are top notch. ARR's use of chorus and percussion stand
out the most in this album, keeping fit with the movie theme and plot.
- I love the heavy folk nature of many of the songs.......takes me back to
traditional India and its inherent charm and rusticity.
- Use of electric guitars is widespread, but tasteful in this album and not
overdone.
- Behene De is one of ARR's most epic sounding tracks ever. It's a monster
track......rich in sound, heavy mood, and the ending is simply larger than
life.
- Khili Re is one of the sweetest, most lilting melodies ARR has ever
composed, beautifully rendered by Reena Bhardwaj. This will be an evergreen
classic.
- There's so much going on musically in each track with layers of sound and
instrumentation and ornamental effects.......a classic trademark of ARR's
genius.
The Negatives:
- I feel the album is too short. The listening experience goes by too
quickly, leaving me wanting for more music (which may be a function of my own
greed too).
- The album's strong musical unconventionality and rough sounding/edgy parts
may restrict universal appeal.
- I didn't like the first musical interlude in "Ranjha Ranjha"....just found
it somewhat discordant musically.
- I wish some of the songs had longer, more elaborate, and more melodic
musical interludes (Ranjha, Beera, Kata).
All in all, I love Raavan's music and want to listen to it again and again. It
leaves me feeling inspired musically and enriched culturally.....connecting me
back to traditional Indian roots even though I live in the US. Yet, it's a
very internationally oriented music album too, requiring a certain open
mindedness and tolerance for music of various types to be fully appreciated,
like most of ARR's albums these days. It's an album that has many moods and
emotional shades, taking me on a very powerful, but short musical and emotional
journey that is never watered down. Not one song is skip worthy or filler to
me. Those who are internationally musically open minded and least cynical about
music in general will appreciate this album the most.
Isn't the best measure to judge an ARR album your emotional experience? Forget
previous ARR albums, forget your expectations, forget intellectual
analyses......at the end of the day, how does the music make you feel in the
moment? If you feel good while and after listening to Raavan, go with it.
Have fun with it. Let loose. If you don't feel good, that's ok.....move on and
hope for the best next time.
Let's be more like ARR. With each album, he starts over....creates a blank
slate and composes in the moment, what is required, what is needed, what is
inspired at that time only. This is why I never once mentioned this album in
comparison to any of his previous ones. Let us, his fans, try and do the
same......live with each album in the moment, attempting to avoid previous
comparisons and our own expectations, often times unreal and unfair. You'll
enjoy the experience much more and truly realize the genius of our "mad musical
scientist". Take each album for what it is.....like it or not like
it......but, not what you want it to be or expect it to be or thought it could
be.
These words must not be reproduced without express written permission and are
the opinion of the writer of the review.
