:) Warm Regards ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vinayak
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rightplacerighttime/ On Sat, May 8, 2010 at 12:09 PM, Gopal Srinivasan <[email protected]>wrote: > > > Back where he belongs > -A <http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#> > *+A<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#> > * > Font > *Pooja Pillai <http://www.screenindia.com/columnist/poojapillai/>*Posted: > May 07, 2010 at 1725 hrs IST > Print > <http://www.screenindia.com/story.php?id=614962&pg=-1>Email<http://www.screenindia.com/static/story-email/> > Newsletter <http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/>Post > Comments<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#postcomm> > RSS <http://www.expressindia.com/fesyndication/screen.xml> > [image: Karthik]** > We’re glad Beera is the > song<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#> with > which the music album of Raavan opens. No other song on the > album<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#> declares > more joyously that the master, A R Rahman, is back where he belongs—in the > company of Mani > Ratnam<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#> and > Gulzar, where he’s once again churned out a thumpingly good album. Of > course, after the disasters that were Blue, Yuvvraaj and Couple’s Retreat, > anything that sounds remotely fresh will be welcome. But in this case, we > would say that the relief is well-deserved. > > There’s no doubt that the songs follow certain trademark Rahman-isms. From > the lively percussion in Beera, to the angry rock riffs of Behene de to the > saccharine sweet female voice on Khili re, there’s much that old Rahman > hands will find familiar. Thok de killi, performed by Sukhwinder Singh, > especially, triggers nostalgia for songs like Dhakka laga from Yuva and > Paathshala from Rang > DeBasanti<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#>, > with a similarly energetic chorus line and upbeat > melody<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#> > . > Beera, performed by Vijay Prakash, is by far the best track on the album, a > paean to the Raavan-like character portrayed by Abhishek > Bachchan<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#>. > Karthik does a splendid job singing Behne de, which has a haunting quality > that Rahman has not tapped since Roja’s Yeh haseen wadiyaan. Just like the > latter had echoes of the mountains and valleys of the Himalayas, Behne de > mimics the turbulent flow of a river that can’t be controlled—only > appropriate given that the song compares love to a river that engulfs all > that venture into it (Behene de ghanghor ghataa/behene de paani ki tarah). > > Love seems to be a bit of a villain in Raavan. Ranjha Ranjha, by > Rekha<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#> > Bharadwaj > and Javed Ali, also expounds on the helplessness a lover feels (Ranjha > Ranjha na kar Heere/Jag badnami hoye/patti patti jhad jaawe/ Par khushboo > chup na hoye), while Kata Kata—by Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal > Ganjawala—opens with a raucous shehnai. It compares a new bridegroom to a > lamb being led to slaughter. Khili re is a rather conventional love song—it > has a strong classical base, but Reena Bhardwaj’s breathy vocals and clichéd > lyrical motifs of blooming flowers turn it into a bore. > > The album (priced at Rs 160) will sound comfortingly familiar to fans who > were dismayed by Rahman’s outputs last year. On the flipside, though, Rahman > does not break new ground. We like that he’s not let a single voice > dominate, even his favourite Sukhwinder; this is perfectly in keeping with > the folk vibes of the > music<http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/#>. > But we wish he would’ve got at least one soaring, pitch-defying number for > us to marvel. > > > http://www.screenindia.com/news/back-where-he-belongs/614962/ > >
