K!HGN... & DNJAK

Kyun! Ho Gaya Naa... - Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Lakshya continues to remain their top work in recent times. Still.

"Baat Samjhaa Karo": Is the 80s type ambience intentional? Evokes hardcore AB film music of the era. Keep expecting "Jahaa.n Teri Ye Nazar Hai" to pop out. Somehow reminds me of some song I can't put a name to. "Dhiil De" from HDDCS? Maybe not. Apart from all that deja vu, not very special.

"Pyaar Mei.n Sau Uljhane": More Shankar. S-E-L need to explore more choices beyond S, Shaan, Alka & Udit. Tempo changes are interesting. Violins, accordions(?) and tinkling percussion are good embellishments. Conversational song evokes "Strawberry Kanne" (not insinuating any inspiration). Harmony is good. Song is too long though. Nice closing.

"Bas Main Hoon": Robust. A little repetitive. Electronic riffs are vintage S-E-L. Also reminiscent of some remix of some song. Worth listening to. One interlude will remind you of Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger" (fancy me spotting that!)

"Dheere Dheere": Very routine romantic song. Skipped.

"No No": Hindi Disco|Rap. Heavy electronic mix. Not so special.

"Aao Naa": Highlight of the album. Not the entire song though. Fabulous sargam at the beginning - Sadhana Sargam (appropriately!) & Shankar Mahadevan. That part is worth extensive listening. MDs: more work for Sadhana Sargam please. Her mukhaDaa is excellent. More sargam. Then falls prey to the Anu Malik syndrome (in which the rest of the song is ordinary compared the beginning of the song). Especially the introduction of Udit. Rewind to the sargam. Keep listening. (Good synth interludes too.)

Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa - A.R.Rahman

Listened (as a true biased fan) to only the ARR parts of the album (three songs, if media reports are to be believed)). Enough of these chuT-PuT offerings. More reason to wait for Swades, 1857-The Rising, Netaji and the seemingly camouflaged Water/River Moon.

"Jaane Tamanna": Kamal Khan. Somehow sounds like Sonu Nigam. Most of it sounds like a pop album piece. I don't know why. Perhaps because of the orchestration. Sadhana Sargam is fine, but with not much to do. Is Kamal Khan just a gimmicky singer? Is that a sax or a trumpet? Synth (Piano?) piece in the middle is the saving grace.

"Zindagi Hai Dua": Trumpets. Actually lots of different instrumental pieces. Reminiscent of Tehzeeb. Or is it just because of Madhushree? Some Arabic strings. Simple beats. The male voices on repeated hearings grow on one and even seem melodious. Again, average overall, but better than "Jaane Tamanna".

"Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa": Aah! Slow, melodious number. Sujata Trivedi's voice seems suited to such a track. Those who thought Rahman can only do fast-paced, rhythm-based songs, listen to this one. Nice subdued flute. Synth cords add a lot. Typical flute-violin combo. Uncluttered soundscape. Hmm... Kamal Khan. Does the relative-heavy Atull Agnihoutri-Salman-Khan mix get to ARR? Synth|Piano interlude is decent. Kamal Khan sounds like Suresh Wadkar! This section is a little drawn out. Overall: Redeeming.