Monthly Archives: March 2018

NOT TOO JUNGLEE, BUT JUST RIGHT!! (DIL JUUNGLEE – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Tanishk Bagchi, Guru Randhawa, Rajat Nagpal, Anand-Milind, Sharib-Toshi & Abhishek Arora
♪ Lyrics by: Tanishk Bagchi, Arafat Mahmood, Guru Randhawa, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Vayu Shrivastav, Devendra Kafir & Abhiruchi Chand
♪ Music Label: T-Series / Pooja Music / Sony Music
♪ Music Released On: The music hasn’t released as a full album
♪ Movie Released On: 9th March 2018

Dil Juunglee

Listen to the T-Series songs: Gaana

Listen to the Pooja Music songs: Gaana

Dil Juunglee is a Bollywood rom-com starring Saqib Saleem and Taapsee Pannu in lead roles. The film is directed by Aleya Sen and produced by Jackky Bhagnani and Vashu Bhagnani. The film’s music is by multiple composers — Tanishk Bagchi, Guru Randhawa, Sharib-Toshi and Abhishek Arora. All of these composers have given something listen worthy in the past, and their style of music suits the romcom genre very well, so it’s probably going to be a fun music album.. let’s see!

Now, this album is somehow split between two music labels — T-Series, and the newly-conceived Pooja Music (belonging to Vashu Bhagnani’s Pooja Entertainment) whose digital marketing is being done by Sony Music. The makers probably wanted a remake of ‘Gazab ka Hai Din’ to feature in the album, but since its rights were with T-Series, that song had to be on T-Series as well, right? Because, obviously! And so I guess the Guru Randhawa song was a bonus add-on, like a ‘Buy one get one free’ kind of deal. So yeah, that’s how I guess this album ended up being on two different music labels. Anyway, since that has nothing to do with the music, let’s move on!
The first song on the T-Series part of the album happens to be composed by Guru Randhawa, along with co-composer Rajat Nagpal, the composers of ‘Ban Ja Rani’ (Tumhari Sulu) and ‘Suit Suit’ (Hindi Medium). While his previous songs in Bollywood have been rehashes of his pop singles, Nachle Na is an entirely original song, and no prizes to guess that it is his best and least contrived-sounding song in Bollywood.. (At the moment of writing this review, ‘Kaun Nachdi’ from “Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety” hadn’t released, which I now believe to be his best yet.) The beats are groovy, and the electronic loop, though harking back to ‘Aa Toh Sahi’ (Judwaa 2), is quite fresh-sounding. Vocals are good, and I’m surprised Neeti Mohan, of all singers was chosen for this song; she does a brilliant job, and surprises me at the same time. It is the lyrics that fall flat.
Now of course, since Guru Randhawa didn’t remake his own song, the music company had to call in someone who could remake some other song. So we have the more-than-part-time remake artist Tanishk Bagchi presenting Gazab Ka Hai Din, a remake of the song with the same name from ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’. I must say, he has done a good job providing the padding around the old hook; the mukhda is especially beautiful, but the antara is forgettable. But the addition of the old hook sounds so contrived, the beauty of the song ends there. For me, the mukhda of this song is the only memorable part! I wish he had been allowed to build a new song after this mukhda and not borrow from an old one! Jubin and Prakriti sound functional as always; nothing great in either of their renditions. The strings during the hookline are beautiful, they keep your interest intact through the boring parts of the composition. I also noticed that Tanishk has written the lyrics as close as possible to the old song, thereby keeping a small touch of it alive even in the new composition.
However, Tanishk’s other song Beat Juunglee, which features in the Pooja Music part of the album, is an amazing and instantly catchy one, and though he uses the iconic “Yaahooo!” from Shammi Kapoor’s ‘Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe’ (Junglee), I’m happy that he hasn’t been made to recreate that number, because his original composition in this song is so insanely catchy!! Armaan Malik was the best choice for this, and the results show brilliantly. Prakriti Kakar gets not much to do, but does well in her one or two lines. Most insane though, is the programming by Tanishk, which has been getting better day by day. The electronic loop which starts the song is crazy and so are the percussions and horns throughout the song. Vayu’s lyrics are always entertaining and they are just that here as well. It just goes to show you how well Tanishk can actually compose when given the freedom. (As if last year’s ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’ wasn’t proof enough!)
Sorry for rambling about that song, but the next song, by Sharib-Toshi, Bandeya, deserves just as much praise. Now this composer duo hasn’t been in the picture for a long time. And by in the picture I mean the way Tanishk is constantly in the picture, every month. The last song they composed was in the recently released “Fukrey Returns”, and now they return with another Punjabi song, this time a sad song sung by Arijit Singh. The composition is soulful, the arrangements heart-warming and the lyrics by Devendra Kafir amazing. The composition has the feel of Anu Malik’s ‘Mere Humsafar’ (Refugee) but the similarity is only in the first line of the hook. Arijit himself is quite at ease with this kind of a song, and is his usual soulful best.
The second best song of the album, after ‘Beat Juunglee’, has to be Abhishek Arora’s Dil Jaane Na, an amazing fusion track that starts off as a soft romantic number, but segues into a pumped-up electronic number with a groovy beat to it. Seasoned voices like Mohit Chauhan and Neeti Mohan are the perfect choice for the song, and they deliver well. I love the way composer Abhishek Arora makes the seamless transition from the soft portions of the song to the upbeat ones, and not just once but numerous times throughout the song. All in all, this song is a treat for people who like light and fluffy music!

The album was “Juunglee” after all, but I loved the Pooja Music part of it much, much, much more than the two songs on the T-Series label. Some things are just meant to be less “Juunglee” and hence less likeable than others!

 

Total Points Scored by This Album: 6.5 + 7 + 9 + 8 + 8.5 = 39

Album Percentage: 78%

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: Beat Juunglee > Dil Jaane Na > Bandeya > Gazab Ka Hai Din > Nachle Na

Which is your favourite song from Dil Juunglee? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂

Remake Counter:
No. Of Remakes: 10 (from previous albums) + 01 = 11

COMPLETELY REBELLIOUS!! (BAAGHI 2 – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Sandeep Shirodkar, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Mithoon, Gourov-Roshin, Pranay M. Rijia, Laxmikant-Pyarelal & Panjabi MC
♪ Lyrics by: Ginny Diwan, Javed Akhtar, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Sayeed Quadri, Kumaar & Channi Khannewala
♪ Music Label: T-Series
♪ Music Released On: 20th March 2018
♪ Movie Released On: 30th March 2018

Baaghi 2 Album Cover

 

Listen to the songs: Saavn

Buy the songs: iTunes

Baaghi 2 is a Bollywood action film (read comedy) starring Tiger Shroff, Disha Patani, Manoj Bajpayee, Prateik Babbar, Darshan Kumar, Randeep Hooda and Deepak Dobriyal in crucial roles. The film is directed by popular dance choreographer Ahmed Khan, and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. If you remember, the first film (which I hated) had a quite likeable album, by Meet Bros., Amaal Mallik and Manj Musik. A “bonus” song by Pranay Rijia was released later. For this album, the music composers of the first film are completely forgotten, and except for Pranaay, they have all been replaced, by Sandeep Shirodkar, Gourov-Roshin, Arko Pravo Mukherjee and Mithoon. Now, I basically know that there will be a horde of remakes in this album, just by looking at the composers’ names — Sandeep Shirodkar and Gourov-Roshin have basically just created almost only remakes ever since they debuted. Arko and Mithoon’s songs do pique my interest, but nothing like “Oh, I’m so excited, I’m dying of excitement”.. nothing of that level. Anyway, let’s see just how well this album upholds the reputation (or demolishes it) of its predecessor.

Just because he has two songs, both remakes, Sandeep Shirodkar becomes lead composer for Baaghi 2. (It was Meet Bros. in ‘Baaghi’). His first remake is Mundiyan, a remake of Labh Janjua’s ‘Mundiyan Toh Bachke Rahi’. I must say, though, the song is quite enjoyable. Sandeep gets the Bhangra vibe right, and that’s the most important in such songs. Navraj Hans and Palak Muchhal make for some interesting vocals — especially Palak, who explores such songs once (okay, maybe twice, but not more) in a blue moon. She even raps! Navraj Hans is a vocal powerhouse as it is; there’s no use writing that he’s done well (it was taken for granted that he would). The one place Sandeep does mess up though, is the uncountable vocal breaks, disturbing proceedings many times, slowing down the pace of the song.
He doesn’t fare as well in his second song Ek Do Teen, remake of the song with the same name from ‘Tezaab’. Now, this is a very iconic song, not so much for its composition and music, (which was quite clichéd, if I may say so) than for Madhuri’s iconic moves on the dance floor. But even then, the flak the song is receiving is quite unjustified. Maybe it’s because the dance moves have been slaughtered (they have), or maybe it’s because the remake trend has achieved this abominable level these days. But the song isn’t that bad. Shreya substituting for Alka is a great decision; she sounds okay in the mukhda but amazing in the antaras. At least we haven’t gotten somebody like Neha Kakkar in charge of this song. The music is functional at best, with nothing remarkable in Sandeep’s new arrangements, except the easy-to-miss electric guitar riffs, and the spunky Bappi-ish disco sounds. Also, why does she only count till 20 here! That’s destroying the point of the song! 😂
Mithoon’s Lo Safar is a better result of his composition sung by Jubin Nautiyal, than the last one, which was ‘Tum Mere Ho’ (Hate Story IV). Here, at least, the composition isn’t overly sensuous, and not even trying to be. It is just a humble typical Mithoon melancholic melody, supposed to be a romantic song but playing more like a sad song. Jubin sings it well, and Mithoon’s arrangements consisting of nice guitar riffs, an amazing rap on many drums at the same time, and a serene flute, work wonders. Sayeed Quadri’s lyrics are just not the kind of lyrics he’s known for. Having written so many beautiful lyrics (especially the amazing ‘Ji Huzoori’ from ‘Ki & Ka’) for Mithoon, this should have been much better.
Gourov-Roshin’s Soniye Dil Nayi is also a remake of some T-Series pop single, whose credits on YouTube are so vague, they don’t credit the original composer, even in the video for the original song! The only good thing about this song, is that it doesn’t let Ankit Tiwari’s lazy voice get too much control over the song, because Shruti Pathak arrives at the right times to save us, with amazing aalaaps. Her portions are amazing, but the composition both of these singers have to sing is lazy, boring, dull and any other negative adjective you can think of. The composers try their best to ape Ankit’s composing style, so that his lines always end with us expecting a “Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu..” or a “Teri galliyan..” to follow. Too much said about this song.
The only composer repeated from ‘Baaghi’ is Pranaay Rijia, whose song ‘Get Ready To Fight’ from ‘Baaghi’ I neither reviewed nor heard (except in the movie) because it released late as a single track. Here he comes back to present Get Ready To Fight Again a song which you should be ready to fight again. That’s about it. I won’t tell you about the horde of singers roped in to sing a worthless song, and I won’t tell you about the actionless arrangements, even though this is probably the background song for when Tiger Shroff is showing off his stunts. This time the song gets a more folksy vocal treatment, thanks to Jatinder Shah’s vocals. Benny Dayal in the original song sounded terrible. (Let’s just put that out there since I hadn’t reviewed that.)
The best song of the album, more out of helplessness, than actually on its merit, is Arko’s O Saathi, a romantic melody sung by Atif Aslam, which fits perfectly into the Arko template of romantic songs. It might be a rehash of ‘Nazm Nazm’ (Bareilly Ki Barfi) and ‘Tere Sang Yaara’ (Rustom), with the exact same duff rhythm, and strings, and everything else, but it nevertheless sticks with you, because it is charming in spite of being heard before. Payal Dev’s humming lends the song a serene quality. The antara of the song is amazing; it follows a really unconventional composition, at least unconventional for Arko’s music. Atif sings it impeccably, especially the “Allah Mujhe” line. The hookline’s tune seemed forcibly stretched to cover about fifteen seconds of runtime each time it plays.. that’s about a minute that could’ve been spent in adding another antara! But I must say, Arko’s lyrics are beautiful, especially the mukhda!

While I still listen to ‘Baaghi’s music album sometimes even now, when I’m bored, I doubt I’ll listen to this album even one month from now. While “‘Baaghi’s album had zero remakes, this has four. While “‘Baaghi’s album was not a ‘BAAGHI’ (rebel) at all, this one totally is!

 

Total Points Scored by This Album: 7.5 + 6.5 + 7.5 + 5.5 + 4 + 8 =

Album Percentage: 65%

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: O Saathi > Lo Safar = Mundiyan > Ek Do Teen > Soniye Dil Nayi > Get Ready To Fight Again

 

Which is your favourite song from Baaghi 2? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂

Remake Counter:
No. Of Remakes: 06 (from previous albums) + 04 (from Baaghi 2) = 10

4 GEMS!! (3 STOREYS – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Clinton Cerejo & Amjad-Nadeem
♪ Lyrics by: Puneet Krishna, Amjad-Nadeem, Alaukik Rahi, Shellee & Pushaan Mukherjee
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 27th February 2018
♪ Movie Released On: 9th March 2018

3 Storeys Album Cover

 

Listen to the songs: Saavn

Buy the songs: iTunes

3 Storeys is a Bollywood psychological thriller, starring Pulkit Samrat, Renuka Shahane, Richa Chadha, Masumeh, Sharman Joshi, Ankit Rathi and Aisha. The film, directed by Arjun Mukerjee, is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. The film revolves around a chawl, where three stories of three people living in three different storeys, are intertwined. The music for the film has been given by Clinton Cerejo, who usually does music for thrillers like this, and a guest composition by Amjad-Nadeem too, is included in the album. Let’s see what the album for this film consists of!

Lead composer Clinton Cerejo sticks to his usual style of composition, yet manages to create some beautiful tracks. Bas Tu Hai is a poignant and intense romantic melody set on a pulsating alternative rock template (reminiscent of Pritam’s songs), guitars doing just the right trick for the audience to shower their love upon it. The mellow composition is just perfect for such a film that has a mystery vibe to it, and Arijit and Jonita make a great pair together, singing the song with the right amount of intensity, and without making it sound melodramatic. Credit goes to Clinton too, for doing his best to not make it fall into the “typical song” category that such songs usually fall into — the song has repeat value and a life outside the movie. The antara has Arijit going into a full rockstar mode, and it begins amazingly, with a nice rock guitar backing him. Puneet Krishna’s lyrics are nice and soothing as well.
The next song by Clinton happens to fall into his comfort zone. Azaadiyaan is the standard Clinton Cerejo affair, with a soaring melody backed with a minimalistic arrangement. It reminds me of ‘Haq Hai’, another beautiful minimalistic song from Clinton’s album for ‘Te3n’. Bianca and Clinton always complement each other so well, and just like all their previous duets, this one works more because of that chemistry. The harmony between the two has been done well throughout the song. Not a song that will instantly connect, but when it does, you’ll want to keep humming it.
Clinton’s last song is the most fun out of the three songs he has composed. Zaroori Bewakoofi has Mohit Chauhan at his mischievous best, and the backing vocalists supporting him with a camaraderie that is so fun to listen to. The “Kahaani Atrangi Si” loop by the backing vocalists (Vivienne Pocha, Crystal Sequeira & Bianca Gomes) is entertaining, and a special mention goes to Clinton for his vocal trumpet and other entertaining sound effects placed strategically throughout the song, like the quirky sounds in the interlude. Guitars, piano, all the instruments that have been used, reflect a carefree attitude, and the digital beats used are a clever throwback to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s method of creating carefree songs. The composition is a bit weak, but the backing vocalists and the sound effects help to overcome that! Again, the lyrics here, by Pushaan Mukherjee, are fun too!
Guest composers Amjad-Nadeem return after over half a year to compose a charming garba song, Raasleela. Like all well-made garba numbers, this has strong percussions, a nice flute assortment loop, and the wonderful techno sounds support that even more. The sweet and simple nature of the song is its strong point. Sumedha, sounding uncannily like Shraddha Kapoor in places where the composition is too high, renders the song well, but it could’ve been much better, going by her performances on reality shows, and her previous songs in Bollywood! Amjad-Nadeem do a great job in making the composition catchy though, so everything else is kind of covered up.

Four sweet and simple tracks that work only because of their simplicity!

 

Total Points Scored by This Album: 8.5 + 7.5 + 7.5 + 8 = 31.5

Album Percentage: 78.75%

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: Bas Tu Hai > Raasleela > Azaadiyaan = Zaroori Bewakoofi

 

Which is your favourite song from 3 Storeys? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂

40th MUSIC MASTANI MONTHLY AWARDS (FEBRUARY 2018)

Important Statistics

♪ Number of Albums Reviewed: 6

♪ Albums Reviewed: Padman, Aiyaary, Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz, Welcome To New York, Love Per Square Foot & Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety

♪ Music Composers: Amit Trivedi, Rochak Kohli, Ankit Tiwari, Anshuman Mukherjee, Sajid-Wajid, Meet Bros., Shamir Tandon, Sohail Sen, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Amaal Mallik, Guru Randhawa, Rajat Nagpal, Zack Knight & Saurabh-Vaibhav

Now on with the awards:

40th Music Mastani Monthly Awards

♪ MAIN AWARDS

• Singer of the Month (Female) : Sunidhi Chauhan for Lae Dooba (Aiyaary)

• Singer of the Month (Male) : Arijit Singh for Aaj Se Teri (Padman)

• Composer of the Month (Song) : Amit Trivedi for Aaj Se Teri (Padman)

• Composer of the Month (Album) : Amit Trivedi for Padman (Zee Music Company)

• Album of the Month: Padman (Music by: Amit Trivedi; Lyrics by: Kausar Munir; Singers: Arijit Singh, Mika Singh, Amit Trivedi, Mohit Chauhan, Yashita Sharma, Jonita Gandhi & Rani Kaur; Music On: Zee Music Company)

• Musical Jodi of the Month (Best Duet) : Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Dhvani Bhanushali for Ishtehaar (Welcome To New York) AND Altamash Faridi & Tarannum Mallik for Aashiyana (Love per Square Foot)

• Lyricist of the Month: Kausar Munir for Aaj Se Teri (Padman)

♪ SONG AWARDS

• Best Romantic Song: Aaj Se Teri (Padman) AND Lae Dooba (Aiyaary)

• Best Dance Song: Dil Chori (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety)

• Best Sad Song: Tera Yaar Hoon Main (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety)

• Best Club Song: Bom Diggy Diggy (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety)

• Best Classical-Based Song: Aaj Se Teri (Padman)

• Best Song With A Western Influence: Bom Diggy Diggy (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety)

• Best Song With A Folk Influence: Aaj Se Teri (Padman)

• Song With The Best Use Of Fusion: Yatri Kripaya Dhyaan De (Love Per Square Foot)

• Best Backing Vocals: Suhas Sawant & Rajiv Sundaresan for Hu Ba Hu (Padman)

• Best Sound Effects in A Song: Yatri Kripaya Dhyaan De (Love Per Square Foot)

• Best Retro-Styled Song: Aaj Se Teri (Padman)

• Best Humorous Song: The Pad Man Song (Padman)

• Best Rap in A Song: Mumbai’s Finest (Sajid Nawab, Sumeet Suvarna & Abhishek Dhusia) for Yatri Kripaya Dhyaan De (Love Per Square foot)

• Best Remake: Pehla Nasha Once Again (Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz)

♪ SPECIAL AWARDS

• Bandar Kya Jaane Adrak Ka Swaad (Best Album That Went Pretty Much Unnoticed) : Love Per Square Foot (Zee Music Company)

• Newcomer(s) of the Month:

– Newcomer of the Month (Singer – Female) : N/A

– Newcomer of the Month (Singer – Male) : Mumbai’s Finest (Abhishek Dhusia, Sahir Nawab & Sumeet Suvarna) for Yatri Kripaya Dhyaan De (Love Per Square Foot)

– Newcomer of the Month (Composer) : Anshuman Mukherjee for Pehla Nasha Once Again (Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz) AND Saurabh-Vaibhav for Sweety Slowly Slowly (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety)

• Music Label of the Month: Zee Music Company (Padman, Aiyaary, Love Per Square Foot)

• Most Unusual, But Awesome Choice of Singer: Altamash Faridi for Aashiyana (Love Per Square Foot)

Hope you all agree!

Thanks for reading!!

KUCHH ACHHE REMAKES BHI HOTE HAIN!! (KUCHH BHEEGE ALFAAZ – Music Review) : Dessert Review

Single Track Details
♪ Singers: Jubin Nautiyal & Palak Muchhal
♪ Music by: Anshuman Mukherjee & Jatin-Lalit
♪ Lyrics by: Majrooh Sultanpuri
♪ Music Label: Saregama
♪ Music Released On: 5th February 2018
♪ Movie Released On: 16th February 2018

Pehla Nasha Once Again

 

Listen to the song: Saavn

Buy the song: iTunes

Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz is a Bollywood romantic drama starring Geetanjali Thapa and Zain Khan Durrani, directed by Onir and produced by Yoodlee Films. The film has no music album as such, but since ‘Pehla Nasha’ (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar) has been used as to carry forth the narrative, the makers have recreated it as a promotional video. The recreation has been done by Anshuman Mukherjee.

The only song released from this movie is a remake of Jatin-Lalit’s super hit romantic classic, ‘Pehla Nasha’ (Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar), and it is aptly named Pehla Nasha Once Again. Anshuman Mukherjee, a newbie, strives hard and succeeds too, in making this Remake more melody-based, than sound-based. What I mean is that, in a time where remakes mostly mean converting an old song into a club number with a groovy EDM hook, this man has based the beautiful melody by Jatin-Lalit, solely on acoustic sounds, something we would never have gotten if somebody else had remade it, especially one name that is right at the tip of my fingers but you can guess who it is. Jubin and Palak do justice to the original composition and singers, adding their own little nuances once in a while. I enjoyed the way the song starts off slow but quickly picks up pace during the “chun liya” part. All in all, this song does what a remake is supposed to — it creates a nostalgic feeling!

 

Total Points Scored by this Track: 7.5

Percentage: 75%

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

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

Remake Counter:
No. Of Remakes: 05 (from previous albums) + 01 = 06

KRIPAYA DHYAAN DE, YEH ALBUM SUNN LE! (LOVE PER SQUARE FOOT – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Sohail Sen
♪ Lyrics by: Gopal Datt, Anand Tiwari, Abhishek Dhusia, Sahir Nawab, Sumeet Suvarna, Abhiruchi Chand & Jamil Ahmed
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 14th February 2018
♪ Movie Released On: 14th February 2018

Love Per Square Foot Album Cover

 

Listen to the songs: Saavn

Buy the songs: iTunes

Love Per Square Foot is a Bollywood rom-com that premiered on Netflix this Valentine’s Day. The film stars Vicky Kaushal, Angira Dhar and Alankrita Sahai in lead roles, and is directed by Anand Tiwari, and produced by Ronnie Screwvala. The film’s music has been composed by Sohail Sen, back after a long time; his last was ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ in 2016. Let’s hope his musical style is intact and he delivers yet another enjoyable album!

Sohail Sen’s return to music composition after one and a half years doesn’t hold as much magic as his previous outings used to. That being said, this album takes some time to warm up to, and in the first listen, doesn’t create much of an impact.
Proceedings are kicked off by the entertaining Mumbaiya rap song Yatri Kripaya Dhyaan De, a tribute to all things Mumbai. The residents of the metropolis would feel a certain pride once they listen to this song, as will the train station announcers. The rap by Mumbai’s Finest (Abhishek Dhusia, Sahir Nawab & Sumeet Suvarna) is entertaining, a bit in the style of DIVINE, and thankfully fits snugly into the song. Lively beatboxing starts off the song, but the song kind of loses its connect in the initial one minute or so, until it settles into its place. After that, it is really enjoyable. I love the way Sohail introduces a nice Maharashtrian-flavoured bhajan segment towards the end, and a nice Ganpati dhol taasha rhythm in the interlude. The vocalists seem to be newcomers, but do a great job in conveying the youthfulness of the city.
Udit Narayan, the evergreen singer, the only singer who hasn’t seemed to age, returns after quite some time, with Ishq Mein Bajti Hai Ghanti, an upbeat wedding song led by the quintessential brass band. Sohail also composes it in a typical 90s tune, to help Udit get more comfortable, probably. It still works thanks to the catchy rhythms and composition and of course, the vocals! Nothing particularly new here, though. The lyrics are funny though, comparing love and marriage.
Benny Dayal and Shivangi Bhayana get the weakest song of the album, Chicken Dance, a song whose composition falls all over the place, though the initial adlib is entertaining. The electric guitars do not work at all, and it ends up being a clumsy party number with no recall value. Benny thankfully has the magnetism in his voice to help listeners keep listening, but Shivangi doesn’t have that quality yet!
Aashiyana is a beautiful romantic song, the only song of the album whose lyrics (by Abhiruchi Chand) make a huge impact on the song. Altamash Faridi and Tarannum Malik, regulars on Sohail Sen albums, know how to do justice to his music, and so the results in the vocal department are amazing. I commend the composer for not going for Arijit though there was a huge scope, because Altamash’s voice brings a freshness to the song, though slightly over-nasal. Tarannum sings her part beautifully too! The antaras are the best parts of the song, composed in a tune that is easily hummable. The reason the lyrics stand out so much, is the conversational way they have been written, seeming like a tribute to Gulzar, who is also mentioned in the song!
Maqbool Hai, the other song by Altamash, is a nice mellow number, starting off with an operatic piece, and seguing into a very Bhatt-ish but very hauntingly catchy melody that wins your heart over. Again, Altamash sings his heart out, creating beautiful effects. The Rahman touch is audible in the song as well, and somehow it sounds like a song that resembles songs from 2008-2009. It still sounds fresh though.
Rekha Bhardwaj ends the album with two versions of a classically-based melody Raaz Apne Dil Ke, a song that fares better and seems more lovable in its Indian Version, with arrangements that complement the composition — tablas, played in a soothing rhythm, and a wonderful tanpura setting the mood for a wonderful classical listen. The Western Version sounds like the composition is uncomfortable with the clumsy “doo doo doo da” with which the song starts, not to mention the digital beats in the background. Not the very best examples of fusion, but there is still a hint of classical music (sarangi) here too, which makes it bearable, at least.

Sohail Sen has done better than this previously, but overall, the album is enjoyable, with a mixed variety of songs, and none being utterly bad!

 

Total Points Scored by This Album: 7.5 + 7 + 5.5 + 8.5 + 8 + 8 + 6.5 =

Album Percentage: 72.86%

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: Aashiyana > Maqbool Hai = Raaz Apne Dil Ke (Indian) > Yatri Kripaya Dhyaan De > Ishq Mein Bajti Hai Ghanti > Raaz Apne Dil Ke (Western) > Chicken Dance

 

Which is your favourite song from Love Per Square Foot? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂

JASLEEN’S HICHKI SUCCESSFULLY OVERCOME! (HICHKI – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Jasleen Royal
♪ Lyrics by: Jaideep Sahni, Raj Shekhar, Neeraj Rajawat, Aditya Sharma & David Klyton
♪ Music Label: YRF Music
♪ Music Released On: 20th February 2018
♪ Movie Released On: 23rd March 2018

Hichki Album Cover

 

Listen to the album: Saavn

Buy the album: iTunes

Hichki is a Bollywood film starring Rani Mukerji, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Shiv Subramanian, Supriya Pilgaonkar, and directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra, produced by Maneesh Sharma. The film is about Naina Mathur, a teacher who has Tourette Syndrome, a neurological condition that results in uncontrolled motor tics. Well, Rani Mukerji can pull off almost any character she is given, so there’s no doubt that her performance will be great. The music of the film is by Jasleen Royal, which is great because a) this is her first solo album, b) it could be the turning point of her career if she makes good use of this opportunity, and why won’t she?? This is another one of those cases where YRF has roped in a relatively new composer for a film that doesn’t need massy music, but the music ends up being really memorable. So let’s hope Jasleen gets over her own ‘hichki’ of recycling her songs, and present something innovative and new!!

Jasleen Royal’s first solo album is mainly full of songs sung by one singer, and all the songs have a kind of spirit in them that is perfectly suitable for a small and sweet Yash Raj movie trying to create social awareness. What starts he album off, is Harshdeep Kaur’s Oye Hichki, a song that can be regarded as the title song, and whose hook actually sounds like the motor tics Rani Mukerji’s character has to deal with in the film. The song is a charmingly upbeat number, and Jasleen’s clever use of strong percussions helps give it an Indian touch, not to mention the Punjabi wedding-ish antara, something close to what Jasleen has composed before, but not quite the same, because of the grounded sound. Jaideep Sahni’s lyrics are good, but not the usual quirky stuff that is characteristic of him. In the Soul Of Hichki, Jasleen indeed takes a more soulful turn, but surprisingly enough, this change is brought about by the replacement of the upbeat percussions by electronic sounds. The antara is amazing here, more soulful, and the sarangi brings a wonderful touch. Harshdeep carries the vocals beautifully in both versions, both of which seem way too short; we wish they were longer.
The only non-solo song on the album arrives next, a groovy Tamil-Hindi rap song, Madamji Go Easy, with the funky vocals of Benny Dayal, and supported by a Tamil rapper David Klyton. The backing chorus of rappers do well, too — the “Vasco Da Gama...” portion is very entertaining. The Tamil rap sounds so refreshing! On a whole, the song is a great theme song to be picturized upon a bunch of teenage miscreants. Jasleen’s arrangements too, are entertaining; she uses all the right techno sounds to make this song enough commercial, although never losing the distinct classy nature of the song. Raj Shekhar writes with a quirky style we never got to see him use in his previous ventures.
A string of motivational/inspirational numbers follow, as is always the case in such movies! But we aren’t complaining; Royal delivers her career’s best songs in this portion of the album.
First up, Khol De Par by Arijit Singh is a charming song, that starts with an old-school composition, the likes of which never fail to impress. Jasleen herself does the “Doom Tak Doom” in the beginning, and you get hooked to the song right away. The hookline soars, with a nice rhythmic thump that helps your head nod throughout the song. The antara is wonderful too, especially the part starting from “Sabko Manaane Ki…” It just steals your heart. Arijit as usual, is charming with the vocals, but Jasleen’s acoustic arrangements are wonderful too, making the song as charming as it turns out to be. Raj Shekhar’s lyrics are fantastic, especially in the antara.
Shilpa Rao’s Phir Kya Hai Gham reminds me of a Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy song; I can’t remember which, though! Here too, Jasleen nails it with the rhythmic backing vocals and the cross line “Haule Haule Sab Hoga..”, each stanza ending with a high-spirited “Phir Kya Hai Gham!?”, followed by a nice humming. The song might be the weakest of the album, but you cannot deny the fact that it still is insanely catchy! The motivational intent of it works really well!
My personal favourite of the album, Teri Dastaan, is a melancholic number, probably the one that plays when the protagonist doesn’t know what to do next. Jasleen herself sings this one, and her distinct voice works wonders in this song. Her composition is so mature, and the piano in the background sets the ambience for this pensive melody. Here too, an interlude with a sarangi is a must-hear. The lyrics by Neeraj Rajawat are the highlight here, and probably the best lyrics of the album too.
The song features in a shorter instrumental version too, called Naina’s Theme, and boy, will the theatre-goers get goosebumps whenever this theme plays. Again, Jasleen sets the pensive mood immaculately, with the piano, and also with her humming, that sounds amazing. It ends the album on a memorable note!

Jasleen Royal overcomes the “Hichki” in her (till now) repetitive compositions by presenting a platter of varied songs from diverse genres, and she succeeds and how!!

 

Total Points Scored by This Album: 8 + 8.5 + 8 + 8.5 + 7.5 + 9 + 8 =

Album Percentage: 82.14%

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: Teri Dastaan > Soul Of Hichki = Khol De Par > Oye Hichki = Madamji Go Easy = Naina’s Theme > Phir Kya Hai Gham

 

Which is your favourite song from Hichki? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂