Good Review. On Sun, Apr 25, 2010 at 5:40 PM, AJ <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > http://www.thamarai.com/news-details.php?id=128 > > AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam together gave us epic music for Roja, Bombay, Dil > Se (Uyire) and Saathiya (Alaipayuthey in Tamil), and when they teamed up > with lyricist Gulzar, they came out with Dil Se and more recently, Guru. > Needless to say, they were all amazing albums, and so I was left wondering > whether the music for their latest venture, "Raavan" (to be released > simultaneously as "Raavanan" in Tamil) would be able to rival these classic > soundtracks. How wrong I was to doubt AR Rahman, even for a second? The > Raavan OST is just as good as, if not better than the benchmarks the music > director had left for himself in previous years. The Raavan soundtrack is > catchy, upbeat and at times haunting, and each song leaves an impact on the > listener, in my opinion. > > Opening with an almost Lion King-esque African-style chant by newcomer > Mustafa Kutaone, "Beera Beera" is an upbeat number with powerful African > beats that are a joy to listen to. The lyrics "Beera ka dus maathe, Beera ka > sau naam" (Beera has ten heads, Beera has a hundred names) indicate that > this will be the lead character's introduction song, and I can't think of a > better way to introduce the untamed Beera (Raavan), than with this > pride-filled, testosterone-fuelled number! Rahman's effortless fusion of > African drums with a distinctly ethnic melody has culminated in this track; > an energetic piece that manages not to overwhelm the listener with too-heavy > beats or too-deep lyrics; they mainly chant "Beera" throughout! With its > folksy feel, this is a song that would typically be handed to somebody like > Shankar Mahadevan or Sukhwinder Singh. Instead, Vijay Prakash has been given > the lead vocals. He may not have the coarse voice that you'd think this song > would require, but he manages to render the song in a wonderfully spirited > manner without being too forceful. > > The next song is "Behene De", and this song practically has AR Rahman > tattooed all over it. It reminds me a great deal (in a good way) of > "Satrangi Re" from Dil Se. They both have a similar structure to them: a > simple, repetitive melody that is supplemented by complementary (but far > from overpowering) backing instrumentals. Behene De, however, has a far more > rocky feel to it when compared to Satrangi Re. The uncomplicated melody does > not diminish this track in any way at all; it simply allows the lyrics to > take a lead role here, because they truly are touching lyrics. "Behene De" > loosely translates as "Let me flow freely" and thus indicates a sense of > imprisonment and a desperate need for freedom. Incidentally, Gulzar also > wrote the lyrics for Satrangi Re, and this same feeling of yearning is > brought to the fore with his lyrics for Behene De. Karthik's vocals are soul > stirring; you can almost feel the character's anguish through his voice. > > Next comes "Thok De Khili", with the rustic vocals of Sukhwinder Singh that > this sort of soundtrack would be incomplete without. This song is uplifting > in a sort of prepare-yourself-for-battle way; it resembles > Azeem-O-Shahenshah from Jodhaa Akbar in some aspects, with its heavy beat > and passionate assertions of the opening lines being repeated throughout. > The main difference between the two however, is that where > Azeem-O-Shahenshah is beat-heavy, Thok De Khili places its emphasis on the > music, making it a very orchestra-oriented piece. It is a vastly > instrument-heavy composition, but this only adds to the war-like feel of the > song without overshadowing Gulzar's powerful lyrics. 
 > > I'm sure many will agree with me when I say that the beautiful song "Ranjha > Ranjha" is one that stands out the most in this album. Despite having > classical, almost Sufi-ish ties in its melody, the beat is distinctly > modern. Here Rahman has exhibited that it is possible to fuse old with new > without tainting the beauty of the melody. The song opens with Anuradha > Sriram's electronically enhanced (not a bad thing) humming, that features at > regular intervals throughout, and playing a key role in maintaing the flow > between each part of the song. The husky tones of Rekha Bhardwaj, and Javed > Ali's more polished yet unassuming singing totally contrast each other, but > still the vocals are stunning to say the least. The opening lines of the > song come from a Punjabi poem by Sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah. The first line > translates as "By repeating his name (Ranjha), I myself have become Ranjha", > and lyricist Gulzar has continued this poem with his own lyrics but has > still maintained a meaningful and romantic feeling. Pairing these lyrics > with Rahman's incredible instrumental arrangement for this track would > result in a beautiful piece of music in itself, but Rekha Bhardwaj's vocals > take it to a whole new level. Even the way she sings just two words "Ranjha > Ranjha", overflows with the passion of a young lovestruck girl who can't > take her mind off the love of her life. > > Next comes the mellow composition – Khili Re – with the sweet voice of > British Asian singer Reena Bhardwaj, who sang Yeh Rishta in Meenaxi and it's > Tamil version in Sakkarakatti and is a regular singer on Nitin Sawhney's > work too (note that she is not Rekha Bhardwaj from the previous track). > Close your eyes and listen to this; you'll almost feel like you're walking > on air, because that's how light and dreamlike the music is for this one. It > has an almost devotional feel to it, and though it may not strike a chord > with those who are fans of the more beat-oriented songs, it is a gorgeous > track nonetheless. The instrumental is uncomplicated – primarily a Tabla, > strings and a flute – and thus the vocals and lyrics are given predominance > here, and rightly so! Reena Bhardwaj has done a fantastic job with this one. > > The final track featured on the album is "Kata Kata" – another upbeat > number. It starts off super-catchy; the bugles at the start certainly make > you sit up and listen. It's a fun track – about a groom-to-be being teased > about his last day of being a bachelor – and the music is just as fun. Ila > Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal Ganjawala provide energetic vocals from start > to finish. This is surprising as the song gets faster and faster as it goes > on, and yet these vocalists don't seem to run out of steam! Probably not one > of my favourite tracks; it is similar to the opening track Beera Beera, but > to me, the uplifting raise-your-spirits sort of feeling was better portrayed > in the opener. It is said to have been picturised with 500 dancers, so it > could have a major impact on the big screen. > > I'm not going to lie, the Raavan soundtrack is certainly unconventional > when compared to many of the albums that have been released recently. It > doesn't consist of the heavy basslines and bi-lingual lyrics that seem to be > the trend of late. Neither is it a purely classical/folk-based album. Rahman > has struck a perfect balance between traditional and modern with this > soundtrack, and Gulzar's fantastic lyrics add a new dimension to each track. > If I had to pick a favourite, Ranjha Ranjha wins hands down, can't get > enough of it, but I wouldn't say no to having the entire album on repeat for > a few hours! > > Words: Kavya Rajagopalan © Thamarai.com > > Kavya has studied Carnatic music from the age of 4 (in London) and has a > passion for languages, travel, books, films, teaching and Science. She > listens to an eclectic variety of music and is a shining example of a very > young British Asian writer who is able to transcend borders and thrive in > today's multi-cultural London. > > >
