“I” M LOVIN’ IT!! (I – HINDI VERSION – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: A.R. Rahman
♪ Lyrics by: Irshad Kamil
♪ Music Label: T-Series
♪ Music Released On: 29th December 2014
♪ Movie Released On: 15th January 2015

I Album Cover

To hear the full songs of this album on Saavn CLICK HERE

To buy this album on iTunes CLICK HERE

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I is a Tamil that has released in Telugu and Hindi as well. The film stars Chiyaan Vikram and Amy Jackson in lead roles, and has been directed by renowned filmmaker Shankar. The film has been produced by V. Ravichandran and D. Ramesh Babu. In the South, the film’s music album has been creating waves ever since its release in September this year. That’s reasonable, considering that the film is being marketed as an A.R. Rahman musical, naturally increasing the buzz! Also given the fact that the Tamil album was the bestselling album of the year on iTunes India, I was too excited to wait for the Hindi album! And after that, due to unavoidable circumstances, I wasn’t able to review anything for two weeks, so here I am posting the review very, very late! 😅

And yes, I am returning to my original style of writing. I found it more comfortable and the old style was also one of the reasons for the delay of this review…and all that followed. 😅

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1. Issak Taari
Singers ~ Nakash Aziz & Neeti Mohan

Who better than the Mozart of Madras knows how to infuse rowdiness and class into the same song? Yes, Rahman once again shows his excellence in composing catchy tunes, that may sound extremely weird at first, but later on make you go crazy like anything! The techno tunes he has used, make you listen intently for anything interesting, and sure enough, some unexpected dhols enter to make the crazy experience crazier still. On top of that, Nakash Aziz has sung the song out-of-this-world-ly! The amount of expression and energy in his voice makes it clear why Rahman chose him to do the honours! Even Neeti, in her brief part of saying just “ishaq taari” again and again in different tunes, impresses a LOT! Each time she sings it, it sounds so fresh! Her backing vocals towards the end… Bravissimo! Irshad Kamil’s lyrics are awesome too! They wonderfully reflect the feelings of a lovestruck Romeo, she same time they make us laugh. “Kaale tavey pe gorey omelette si, apun ki woh kaali aankhon mein yun chamke!” This line itself is GENIUS! 😁 Gonna make you crazy like no song has made you recently! Issak Taari with this song! #5StarHotelSong!

 

2. Tum Todo Na (Male Version) / Tum Todo Na (Female Version)
Singers ~ Ash King & Sunidhi Chauhan / Bela Shendey & Ash King

{Let me specify a few things here before you bombard me with tomatoes and potatoes and eggs for the flaw in the credits: Both the versions are technically duets, so I don’t see what problem T-Series had to name the songs as Version 1 & Version 2. But the male singer has more portions in the so-called Male Version, hence the name. Same with the Female Version. So let’s bear with this terrible flaw of T-Series. 😒😝}

Grand piano welcomes us into this song, which is after some time joined by beautiful flute. The unique voice texture of Ash will instantly grab your attention. This time, Rahman has succeeded in composing a beautiful Broadway-ish composition. It will give the feel of sitting in a theater and watching a musical play. The way Rahman has pulled off the Western style without any flaws, is amazing! A few minutes into the song, comes a grand musical piece, which you don’t want to miss for all it’s worth! Sunidhi’s part (as stated earlier, very short) doesn’t impress as much, but provides a bit of relief in this intense, sad song. The interludes have been brilliantly created, with piano and flute awesomely complementing each other. The conclusion to the song is something that haunts you for a long time and triggers those goosebumps. Irshad’s lyrics are good, but sometimes sound odd, because after all, it is a dub. The so-called Female Version does not manage to create half the ambience that the Male Version did, probably because of Bela Shendey not quite performing up to the mark. In Tamil, this version was better, but in Hindi, sadly, the choice of singer has terribly altered my choice. Everything else in the Female Version however, is beautiful, like Rahman’s arrangements, softer than the Male version. Ash’s cameo towards the end is also nice. A goosebumps-invoking haunting melody, with the power to get you emotional for a while. I would vouch for the “Male Version”, which is definitely a #5StarHotelSong!

 

3. Tu Chale
Singers ~ Arijit Singh & Shreya Ghoshal

Taking a look at the singers itself, anyone familiar with Bollywood music (or, for that matter, any Indian film music) can easily get an idea of what’s in store for them. Just as expected, the song takes you to a different world altogether. Simple, ordinary guitar strums open up the song. Though they are very simple, they come across as so catchy because of the way they are presented. Arijit, singing for Rahman for the second time now after ‘Kochadaiiyaan’, just nails it here too, just as he did the first time he sang for Rahman. The beautiful melody is literally enhanced by his singing, so much so, that he surpasses Haricharan who sang the Tamil song. Shreya with her classical-based portions impresses as she always does and her sweet voice suits the composition perfectly. Her di na tirkit taani na parts are just beautiful! The classical-based melody and the contemporary arrangements by Rahman prove to be great fusion and sound great with each other. The two antaras which are different from each other, both impress. The composition would definitely remind you of the Rahman of ‘Taal’ or ‘Jeans’. Rahman has added brilliant arrangements, mostly that of guitar supported by flute. Irshad’s lyrics are brilliant too, and again, dubbing has been done perfectly! An awesome, beautiful, melodious romantic song, which has been enhanced by the perfect choice of singers! Must listen! #5StarHotelSong!

 

4. Aiyla
Singers ~ Shiraz Uppal & Natalie Di Luccio

The next track probably offers some of the craziest stuff you’ve heard lately. First of all, the lyrics do not make any sense at all, but sound awesome nevertheless with the unique composition. Shiraz comes out of his comfort zone for this song, and does a great job here, as well. The song is an upbeat and catchy song which might not attract you in the very first listen, but later will definitely grow on you. Rahman’s composition is complex and very hard to learn, what with all the twists and turns it takes. Each line is different from the other. He has used many instruments to ensure that our attention is fully towards the song, mostly techno sounds, with Arabic drums, dhols, strings and piano joining at parts to make it more attractive. However, Natalie has to be given full credit for making this song what it is with her voice and vast range of notes. The opera parts, she carries out very well, just as she does the normal parts. The length of the song might disturb some at first, but once you start liking the song, you might not be able to keep track of time! A very innovative affair by the Mozart of Madras! Something very unique and new! #5StarHotelSong!!

 

5. Lady O
Singer ~ Nikita Gandhi

Full of techno-sounds, and having an out-and-out international feel, I cannot guarantee that everyone will love this song, especially the classical music lovers. However, I’ve loved it and appreciate how well Rahman has tried to compose a fully Western modern number. Newcomer Nikita sings some unintelligible words with ease and expertise, and does well, but I missed Shalmali in this song. The beat and tempo change at around 54 seconds into the song has been done very smoothly and surprisingly, doesn’t come across as abrupt! The Antara has to be the best part of the song. Lyrics don’t really seem to play much of an important role in the song. That they’re kind of hard to make out is a different story altogether. Besides universal appeal, everything else has fallen right into place. And just because of this factor, the song has not succeeded in getting the tag which all the other songs have got. Actually, very efficiently composed in a fulltoo international style, but might not appeal to all kinds of audience! Do try it!

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I am — umm… Is — an album full of variety, and with all songs composed very dedicatedly and efficiently by Rahman. All to the songs work in their place and all sound awesome when heard as individual songs, as well! This is a pretty rare thing to happen, and I’m sure the composer doesn’t do it purposely, but it just happens, unknowingly. Except maybe the female version of ‘Tum Todo Na’ and ‘Lady O’ a bit, all the songs have repeat value and universal appeal. The album is enough for your to say after hearing it, “I love I!!”

 

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order:

Tu Chale > Tum Todo Na (Male) > Issak Taari > Aiyla > Lady O > Tum Todo Na (Female)

(on basis of my favourite in the album — you don’t have to follow, you can always have different opinions!) 

 

Which is your favourite song from “I”? Please vote for it below! 😊

Next “dish”: Alone, Chefs: Ankit Tiwari, Mithoon, Jeet Gannguli, Raghav Sachar & Dr. Zeus