Krrish 3 Music Review

Krrish 3 Music
Music Direction : Rajesh Roshan
Lyrics : Sameer

What I expected? : Some really good and hummable tunes, like the usual Rajesh Roshan.

Krrish Title song may work in the movie background, but lacks any kind of repeat and addictive quality. Sigh, it doesn't sound much like a title song, constant electronic loops merged with Mamta Sharma's secretive vocals, and a tad too long.
Raghupati Raghav is thoroughly annoying. The 'Raghupati Raghav' part, which itself is an abuse of the original, barely gets along with the rest of the song where again the lyrics are as bland as possible and the techno arrangements strictly average.
Dil Tu Hi Bata's saving grace is Alisha Chinay's sweet vocal bit, the lyrics doesn't seem to go out of your head while Zubeen Garg is plain lifeless. Then again, the pallavi sounds strangely similar to 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', or is it just me?
You are my love is cheesy blah, Mohit Chauhan's and even Alisha Chinay's presence doesn't help.
God Allah Aur Bhagvan has Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal in front but you'll be disappointed if you expect something with quality. The pseudo-motivational lyrics is, frankly, childish and the song itself seems quite out of date.

Verdict : Krrish 3 is an ensemble of 5 passive tracks, not even in the near neighborhood of the slightly huge expectations. 3 years after that very good score in Kites, Rajesh Roshan, seems to be in a strangely weary position. Below average.

Must Hears! : None

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Boss Music Review

Boss Music
Music Direction : Meet Bros Anjjan, Chirantan Bhatt, P.A.Deepak, Yo Yo Honey Singh
Lyrics : Kumaar, Manoj Yadav & Sahil Kaushal-Lill Gollu

What I expected? : Pretty low expectations, quality wise.

Title song is pretty lackluster, slightly heard before electronic music, massy. Honey Singh tries well but in vain.
Har Kisi Ko borrows elements from the original 'Jaanebaaz' song of the same name while keeping its own identity, increased tempo for instance and some unnaturally loud orchestration. Arijit Singh and Neeti Mohan pulls off an okay-ish effort, all blame on some average arrangements which lets it even down.
Nikhil D'Souza's version is not much different, save for some added strings.
Party all night goes in leagues in with the title song, with a constant synth bass and DJ elements merged with Honey Singh's drunken vocals, ends up slightly more impressive, for the time being.
Pitah Se Hai Naam Tera is ordinary, Sonu Nigam tries his best to shine up this devotional-ish track, while Meet Bros. struggle, composition wise.
Hum Na Tode, Hindi remake(by Graamy awarde winner P. A Deepak) of Vidyasagar's original 'Appadi Pode' doesn't excite much. (May be its me, because of the zillion times I've heard the original play all around me for years now.) Vishal Dadlani is in his usual bombastic self while the song is complete with the addictive kuthu elements!
Boss Theme. I'm still trying to figure out what this is.

Verdict : Boss music, like the ones which comes and goes without any particular effect. Average.


Must Hears! : None

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Phata Poster Nikhla Hero Music Review

Phata Poster Nikhla Hero Music

Music Direction : Pritam Chakraborty

Lyrics : Irshad Kamil

What I expected? : Commercial, non-stop Pritam!

Tu Mere Al Bagal is routine yet addictive Mika-Pritam combo, something on the lines of 'Pungi', less interesting arrangements but. Enjoyable!

Mein Rang Shrabaton ka's sweety-catchy melodious tune is let down by Atif Aslam's average, heavily auto tuned vocals, while Chinmayi is the only saving grace.

Mein Rang Sharbaton(reprise) scores by leaps and bounds for the one reason Arijit Singh is singing it, and man, he makes it simply gorgeous! How I wish the original version were sung by him! #Repeat

Hey Mr. DJ has Benny Dayal, Shefali Alvares, and Shalmali Kholgade on fire, quite exotic techno dance track replete with spritely arrangements!

Mere Bina Tu gets to the mesmerizing level, the simple soft rock arrangements merged with the pitch perfect singing of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Harshdeep Kaur makes it a stunning listen! #Must Hear #Repeat

Dhating Naach will literally put your legs on fire! An amazingly fast tempoed desi dance track, the energy level with which Nakash Azi and Neha Kakkad sings it is quite remarkable! #Repeat
Janam Janam's heartfelt lyrics are justified by Atif Aslam's soulful, beautiful vocals which demands multiple listens and the same can be said for Sunidhi Chauhan's reprise version, where she shines from top to bottom with her soft, vehement singing act! #Repeat

Verdict : Phata Poster NH comes with strong musical elements, which are bright and refreshing throughout, slight flaws aside! Pritam switches his commercial, yet Very Good mode ON!

Must Hears! : Mein Rang(Reprise), Mere Bina Tu, Janam Janam(both versions)


AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Besharam Music Review

Besharam Music

Music Direction : Lalit Pandit, Ishq Bector

Lyrics : Rajeev Barnwal, Nikhat Khan & Himanshu Kishan Mehra

What I expected? : Another commercial outing from Ranbir must have good backing music. But pretty skeptical about what to expect from Lalit Pandit.

Tu Hai is your quintessential  romantic song, very good job composition and arrangement wise, but for singers like Shreya Ghoshal and Sonu Nigam, just plain cake walk. Nice one! #Repeat

Dil Ka jo Haal Hai definitely has the late 90's-early 2000's hangover and bringing Abhijeet Bhattacharya behind the mic helps only in increasing it with his retro styled vocals while Shreya Ghoshal tries her best to sound contemporary. 

Tere Mohalle is an attempt to ape 'Munni Badnaam' with the same singer duo, Mamata Sharma and Aishwarya Nigam, and the success of the item number track will depend heavily on the picturisation.

Title song by Ishq Bector is passable techno, with mind boggling lyrics.

Love ki Ghanti seems like an extension to 'Ala Barfi', same retro template complete with some fabulous singing job+voice overs from Ranbir Kapoor, Sujeet Shetty and Amitosh Nagpal and absolutely quirky lyrics! Loved it! 

Chal Hand Uthake Nachche is sufficiently trippy and foot tapping with the explosive trio of Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan raging all over it! #Repeat

Aa Re Aa Re, another item dance number it seems, thankfully remains safe within the usual but energetic vocals of Mika Singh and Shreya Ghoshal even with the mostly-absurd lyrics! #Repeat

Remixes for all the songs except Chal Hand and Tu Hai are included along with an unplugged version for Tu Hai.

Verdict : Lalit Pandit delivers an almost safe outing with Besharam, but the current form is only a shadow of the Jatin-Lalit duo of the past. Shelf life of tracks is on doubt but definitely will serve for good promotions of the film. Good attempt!

Must Hears! : Tu Hai

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Shuddh Desi Romance Music Review

Shuddh Desi Romance Music

Music Direction : Sachin-Jigar
Lyrics : 

What I expected? : Ever since 'Gulabi' released, the expectations were pretty high. Romance, quality and freshness.

Tere Mere Beech Mein stands justified to the 'fresh' expectations, Mohit and Sunidhi Chauhan aces the track while the tune is sufficiently romantic as well as quirky. The westernized arrangements makes things look even better! #Repeat
Gulabi can be readily recognized somewhere in between the A R Rahman-Amit Trivedi zone, an amazingly perky and lovely tune with Jigar coming up with his career best singing act along with Priya Panchal! The arrangements, especially the repetitive folksy interludes are seriously addictive! #MustHear #Repeat
Chanchal Mann scores at everything, the highly energetic background, Divya Kumar's one-man-show-stealer-show and the quirky lyrics. Can't help shaking your head! #Repeat
Title song cannot get any more crazy, the enchanting harmonim-dholak mix sandwiched between the highly spirited Benny Dayal-Shalmali Kholgade vocals and a purely desi dance tune! #Repeat
Mujhe Kiss Kar Sakte Ho is a vehemently brilliant instrumental, the slow buildup and the absolutely lovable middle portions have a strongly emotional feel! #Repeat
Love in Jaipur has Priya Panchal whispering Rajasthani, with an external coating of exotic desi arrangements! #Repeat
Tez Waala Attraction is basically Chahchal mann interludes rehashed, nothing much. Quirky BTW.
Boyfriend Banogey is again Gulabi interlude presented in a different avatar, charming!
Bhanwara Ma Bhatke has an impressive pedestrian lineup of instruments, interesting!

Verdict : Plain simply, all the songs work, to a large extent. Then again, majority are instrumentals with short running span so commercial prospects cannot be judged. The four original songs are rock-solid, will easily feature among Sachin-Jigars best works and the album on the whole is a must hear for them! The duo have successfully managed to fit the essence of Rajasthan into a modern frame! Very Good work, the four songs, gonna be on my playlist for the coming months!

Must Hears! : Gulabi, Tere mere beech

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!.

Satyagraha Music Review

Satyagraha Music 
Music Direction : Salim-Sulaiman, Indian Ocean, Meet Bros. Anjaan, Aadesh Srivastava
Lyrics : Prasoon Joshi

What I expected? : Nothing

Janta Rocks by Meet Bros. is partly engaging, mainly for the sarcastic-inspiring lyrics and the nice bit of percussion going behind the scene. Sitautional and a tad too long.
Hum Bhole De's anthemic sound may work well in the movie, signature Indian Ocean folk-rock template with Rahul Ram, Amit Kilam and Himanshu Joshi in great form!
The title track has a highly impactful start, the "Raghupati Raghav..." chants doing magic along with the neat electronica. But the initial high falters with the extra lyrics, which seemingly doesn't go in sync.
Aiyo Ji has Shradha Pandit in her brilliant crystal clear avatar, flowing through the fusion stuff the track is, ending up with seemingly good results!
A remix is added.
Raske Bhare Tore Naina is the best reserved for the last, Shafqat Amanat Ali is pitch perfect in this Hindustani semi-classical material which hits the bull's eye, composition wise. Minimal arrangements giving thankfully more space to the singer to showcase his vocal details cleverly does the magic here!
The House Mix of the song rendered by Aadesh Srivastava is just about OK. Aadesh, unlike Shafqat sounds folk-ish at times.

Verdict : Satyagraha started off with zero expectations only to end up with a fairly good track list. While Raske Bhare is going to be on loop, Aiyo Ji and the other songs scores for their own situational merits. All composers contributes expectedly, while Salim Sulaiman seems on an welcome high, compared to their recent status. Looking forward to see how well the songs are incorporated into the movie. Good one, worth a try!

Must Hears! : Raske Bhare Tore Naina


AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara! Music Review

Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara! Music 
Music Direction : Pritam Chakraborty, Laxmikant - Pyarelal
Lyrics : Rajat Aroraa

What I Epected? : Thinking on the lines of OUATIM, some sturdy melodies.

Chungliyaan has tried, tested, cliched Sufi-Qawaali template, Javed Ali shows his usual self anyway. Composition wise, just average.
Ye Tune Kya Kiya is no different, except for the raw, rustic vocals of Javed Bashir, which helps the song rise above average, still just film-worthy.(The Sitar piece in between, comprising hook lines of Tum Jo Aaye and Pee Loon was pretty nice!)
Tu Hi Khwahish throws a pleasant surprise, well composed follow up to 'Parda', Sunidhi Chauhan croons the disco song well while sounding quite Asha Bhosle-ish!
Tayyab Ali is plain boring. I'm not in for comparing this with the original 'Amar Akbar Anthony' song but this Anupam Amod recreation is lackluster, fails to entertain.

Verdict : OUATIMD is nowhere close to OUATIM. Lacking almost everything, Pritam delivers another dud.

Must Hears! : Nothing

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Chennai Express Music Review

Chennai Express Music

Music Directors : Vishal-Shekhar

Lyrics : Amitabh Bhattacharya

What I expected? : What else than an out and out masala entertainment affair with Vishal Shekhar's highly capable abilities merged with SRK's stardom! 

1234 opens to dysfunction, even the rhythmic Tamil kuthu dance template works in vain, falls flat outright on its face!

Titli helps the album bounce back like a boomerang, an amazingly serene tune set to occasional Carnatic classical backgrounds and sung to immense grace by Chinmayi Sriprada with Gopi Sundar's apt support! #Must Hear #Repeat

An unwanted, badly done Dubstep version is added! Why V-S Why?!

Tera Rastaa Chhodoon Na's swingy, youthful composition with the equally eclectic orchestration impresses big time! The singers, Amitabh Bhattacharya and Anusha Mani sounds lively! #Repeat

Kashmir Main Tu Kanyakumari is interesting for the snappy lyrics, but is immensely forgetful for the tune is dull and the good elements all scattered! Worth a hear, likely to work with the video!

Ready Steady Po has a lot of things going around it at a time, its hard to discern them all together. Techno-hip hop with the usual Bollywood edge, strictly functional.

Chennai Express, the title song, is sure-fire catchy if you forget the bizarre lyrics, with the high point definitely being S P Balasubrahmanyam's impeccable vocals which takes the song to further heights along with  the addictive techno swing! Jonita Gandhi's B-Town debut is impressive! #Repeat

Chennai Express Mashup is awfully fast tempoed, nevertheless neatly done.

Verdict : I don't know, Vishal-Shekhar seems pretty handicapped in Chennai Express, the album doesn't meet the mammoth sized expectations. While the 'hits-expected' dance tracks fail miserably(barring only the title track) the saving grace comes in the form of the two melodies. The songs may climb up the charts, thanks to SRK's stardom and the immense promotions given to the film, but the music definitely lacks professionalism and quality. Just above average.

Must Hears! : Titli, Tera Rastaa

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING

(Somewhere in the middle :P)

D-Day Music Review

D-Day Music
Music Direction : Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyrics : Niranjan Iyengar

What I expected? : SEL-Nikhil Advani usually produces good melodies. Looking forward.

Duma Dum Mast Kalander is repeated the gazillionth time, this time through Mika's lead vocals. Nothing much impressive, though interesting choice of a singer for a song like this.
Alvida has an inherent Patiala House hangover, nevertheless simple yet super swayful composition with justified singing by Nikhil D’souza,Shruti Hassan, Sukhvinder Singh and Loy Mendonsa!
Murshid Khele Holi is Qawaali perfection(The Tabla and Harmonium throughout for instance, stands out) with a highly discernible sufi edge and singing by Munawar Masoom, Javed Ali, Shankar Mahadevan and the chorus gives perfect results! #Repeat
Ek Ghadi has Rekha Bharadwaj producing a real stunner in the form of a ghazal, wonderful classical based Hindustani composition, though its only a cake walk as far as Mrs. Bharadwaj is concerned. #Must hear
Dhuaan comes with that definite anthemic sound, the vocals works immensely(Rahul Ram, Siddharth Mahadevan, Alyssa Mendonsa and chorus) as well as the Violins, though track is strictly situational..

Verdict : What has an action thriller to do with good music, God only knows, but D-Day has definitely very good music. SEL shows their usual capabilities and D-Day turns out to be a pleasant experience. Recommended!

Must Hears! : Ek Ghadi, Murshid Khele Holi, Alvida

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Music Review

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Music
Music Direction : Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyrics : Prasoon Joshi

What I Expected? : Expectations sky rocketed when I first heard Zinda. Expecting some very good stuff on its lines.

Gurbani gives a fantastic start, the very patriotic sounding verse is sung to indefinable highs by Daler Mehndi!
Zinda is total killer, the elevated rock arrangements along with Sidharth Mahadevan's exalted vocals create a true blue electric atmosphere! #MustHear #Repeat
Mera Yaar carries the sufi sound well, and who better than Javed Bashir to take it hands down?! Result? The vocals as well as arrangements sounds wonderful! #MustHear
Maston ka Jhund has Divya Kumar singing dance Punjabi in its purest, raw form! The orchestration plays well, but for most part its Divya Kumar's on-man-show!
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag works well as a title song, nothing like repeat quality in it, but the arete arrangements and Arif Lohar's  raw vocals help immensely. Situational, but serves the purpose. The rock version sung by Siddharth Mahadevan is better, due to the overall perkiness and faster tempo!
Slow Motion Angreza has childish, quirky but nuanced sounds, where Sukhwinder Sigh takes things in his hands and delivers expectedly. Loy and Shankar provide needed support in the chorus.

They say that the best is yet to come, and this time it strikes truth with the last song.
O Rangrez. I guess I need some extra sentences to describe this song. I say that this song is a classic. And why? Mostly because everything is bloody perfect in it. The mood is set right by the strings and Harmonium in the beginning before it dives into Javed Bashir's controlled vocals accompanied by Tabla and Sarangi! Now enter Shreya Ghoshal and everything is heaven! The song sways between the sweetness of a ghazal and sharp sound of a Qawaali. The super breezy tune is executed wonderfully by everything above, and every second of the 6:24 run time of the song is crafted elegantly! #Classic #MustHear

Verdict : Bhaag Milkha Bhaag doesn't disappoint. It doesn't score by leaps and bounds either. While it has its share of situational songs, namely Maston ka Jhund and the title song, having their own merits, it has couple of tracks which are largely appealing! O Rangrez is a sturdy gem, one of the best songs by SEL ever, I'd say and as far as Zinda is concerned it has every potential to become the new youth anthem, thanks to the brilliant setting. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy gives us one of their better soundtracks, made more in sync with the movie I think. Very Good effort.

Must Hears! : O Rangrez, Zinda, Mera Yaar

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!.

Radio Music Review

Radio Music
Music Direction : Himesh Reshammiya
Lyrics : Subrat Sinha

Listen to the album Here

Prelude: I know it is late, by almost 4 years! But couldn't resist writing a review after hearing the album once again this morning! This time my music tastes have matured and I hope I'll be able to scrutinize the album in a more quality, critic point of view than a HR fanatic point of view in which I enjoyed it back in 2009.

Mann Ka Radio, the title song, probably the only song of the movie which was promoted well, opens the soundtrack in a fantastic note! What with the new, fresh, urbane haunting sound of Himesh along with some uber cool beats and guitar riffs justifies the highly addictive slow tune! #Must Hear #Repeat
Koi Na Koi is reminiscent of the old post AshiqBanayaAapne Himesh, the composition has enough pain and thankfully minimal but lovely orchestration keeps the profile high! Shreya Ghoshal sounds pleasant and in sync with HR! #Repeat
Jaaneman was undoubtedly one of the sweetest melodies of 2009 and the controlled, non-nasal way Himesh sings it just shows his prowess as a singer. The song gets to another high with the entry of Shreya Ghoshal! #Must Hear #Repeat
Piya Jaise Ladoo is one perfect example to cement down Himesh's Hindustani classical abilities as a composer! Starting the note off in some brilliant Shehnai, this is one song tailor made for Rekha Bharadwaj where she essentially sings it with utmost grace and grief. HR provides ample support! Simply the best of the album! #Must hear #Repeat
Shaam ho Chali hai makes me skip a heartbeat. Probably one of the BEST romantic ballads of HR(yes, you heard it right, in par with Tere Naam) and one of the most under promoted! Particularly the brilliancy is seen towards the anupallavi(2nd stanza, I don't know the Hindi phrase) where the same lyrics are repeated in two totally different tunes, by Shreya and HR respectively but still stays in sync! The arrangements are top notch as well as the singing! Too bad and too sad that hardly anyone heard it! #Must Hear #RepeatForever
Damadji is total fun! The folk-ish compositions gets the best of vocals from Kailash Kher who totally captivates the song in the start before it turns into HR's somber vocals, which is as good! #Must hear #Repeat
Teri Meri Dosti is simply amazing for the sheer contrast of pitches it displays! While Shreya goes sweet, simple and low, HR gets the pitch high, so high, as high as it can get! And the cycle follows with the comely western arrangements! Interesting is the word! #Must hear #Repeat
Rafa Dafa has again HR gaining as a composer, a surprisingly eclectic compositions sung by HR in his cool voice avatar emits a fresh positive vibe and the good lyrics helps immensely! #Repeat
Zindagi Jaise completes the album with its Punjabi R&B pop sound. Considerably weakest of the lot, the song but does entertains you to a certain extent, if you ignore the mind boggling lyrics.

Verdict : I remember promoting the album and the movie alike vigorously back in 2009. Incidentally, that was the HR fan in me working, and some of the acts at that time, I agree, was biased. Now that my music tastes have matured(as I stated at the beginning, I have started hearing more world music, more Indian folk and classical, more languages) I look at the album with more of a critic's eyes and ha!! Nothing has changed whatsoever! Radio was a brilliant album for me back then, and four years later, after hundreds of songs I have heard in between, it still remains brilliant! In fact the re-hearing has only helped to elevate my admiration of the album. This is another outstanding album for me! Overly scintillating, particularly engaging, experimental, new-gen stuff from HR!

Must Hears! : All songs, except Zindagi Jaise

Listen to the album Here

4.25/5
AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!



Trivia : Here's what Shreya Ghoshal said about the album in an interview.

Q : Would you agree that your songs in Radio are among your best in recent times? 

Shreya : Completely - it is one of the most frequently-played CDs in my home for a good while, and not because four songs are sung by me. Himeshji is amazing. The clean sound and interesting lyrics - even if they are not uber-cool - keep you hooked. I also do not agree with those who say that Himeshji is a non-singer. Shaam ho chali hai was a challenge for me as I have never sung so low in my career - it was challenging to sing in kharaj here. The contrast he has managed between my portions in Teri meri dosti ka aasmaan and his high-pitched segments is awesome!

http://bit.ly/13vqQBE

Alai Wave of Bliss | Sounds of Isha | Indipop Music Review

Alai - Wave of Bliss Music Review

Band : Sounds of Isha

Buy the Album Here at a 'Name your price' basis. Get it for free if you don't want to pay.

Prelude : For those who don't know, Sounds of Isha is the home band of the Isha Foundation, you can get more info Here.
Isha Foundation's or rather Sadhguru's spiritual influence is generally expected from the album. Written and composed by Sounds of Isha during a series of Mahasathsangs with Sadhguru across South India, Alai boasts of profound lyrics with deep inner meanings. Being made completely in Tamil, a dominance of native sounds and classical influence seems like an unavoidable element. A visit to Isha Foundations website thankfully gave the lyrics of all the songs and can't really help being a bit enchanted by the sheer eloquence of the lyrics!

Alai Alai is the perfect start, the fisherman's song presumably, a colloquial tune set to wonderful guitar riffs, enhanced with the nuanced sound of Mridangam and the spritely chants of the chorus!
Kanale Kanale is more folk in the core, both the singing style and instruments announces so, while the poetic lyrics of Sri Marabin Maindhan Muthiah gets a highly rhythmic and addictive tune!
Oru Anniyar is folk genre again, sounds more like a 'pulluvan song' going by the alluring sound of the violin like instrument(pulluvan pattu) and the constant beats of pulluvan kutam, but then the nadaswaram comes in between resulting in somewhat a hybrid natured song, yet engaging in every way!
Oru Murai has predominant Carnatic classical base, the free flowing composition sung to grace by Narayan Parasuram given lift off by VV Ravi's brilliant Violin with some inspiring lyrics!
September 23 is perhaps the most spiritual of the lot, the haunting vocals merged with the deeply rich lyrics given classical treatment produces something with a resilient divine mood!
The absolutely graceful tune of Something Something works big time, an ample melody strong in the composition department gets to another high with the confident yet soothing vocals!
Un Padham sounds like a fervid prayer, the traditional temple rhythm backed by apt instrumentation(Mridangam and Flute) gives highly pleasing results!

Verdict : Sounds of Isha doesn't go wrong anywhere in Alai. It is a wonderful ensemble of brilliant tracks with some equally brilliant lyrical backbone. Nothing below than a must buy, the album enchants you, inspires you and puts you to sleep, evoking questions about life we've chosen to ignore until now hovering in your head. If it is spiritual, then it is beautiful!

Must Hears! : The whole album!

Buy the Album Here 


4.25/5
AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!


Trivia : The name September 23 comes from the date on which the song was first performed!

Raanjhanaa Music Review

Raanjhanaa Music 
Music Direction : A R Rahman
Lyrics : Irshad Kamil

Buy the songs legally, Here
Listen to the songs legally, Here or Here

What I Expected? : Rahman, big time!

Raanjhanaa is sound fiesta! The impeccable vocals of Jaswinder Sing & Shiraz Uppal infused into the hugely energetic yet lovely desi arrangements,(the Sitar for instance, stands out) makes up for a wonderful hear! #Must Hear #Repeat
Banarasiya is where Shreya Ghoshal and A R Rahman scores together, in the singing and composition departments respectively, it is hard to say who outshines whom for the song is one perfect example why Shreya is called the modern Indian nightingale and why Rahman is the nemero uno with all the sweet Sitar merged to the perky Indian composition(Sangeet song), making it highly intriguing! Meena Jain and Anweshaa provide ample support. #Must Hear #Repeat
Piya Milenge is basically a bag of too many good things, strong vocals(Sukhwinder Singh and KMMC Sufi Ensemble), brilliant composition, profound sufi touch, lilting classical base, the predominant urbane beat given a Qawaali edge and the deep lyrics! #Too hard to miss #Repeat
Nazar Laaye is absolutely breezy with the urbane coolness! A romantic ballad, where the soulful vocals of Rashid Ali and Neeti Mohan doesn't go wrong! #Must Hear #Repeat
Aisa Na Dekho surfaces with that lazy-lazy feel, aided heavily by A R Rahman's mastered vocals led by jazz strings and homely lyrics! #Repeat
Tum Tak is truly experimentation at its peak, a purposefully less engaging start then recreates itself in to a cat and mouse race of swaying composition and unmistakable singing, with the apt arrangements and brilliant lyrics setting the divine mood right! #Must Hear #Repeat
Aey Sakhi is has a highly sonorous sound, with the four ladies(Madhushree, Chinmayi, Vaishali and Aanchal Sethi) enjoying themselves in the cheerful yet funny composition coated with the standout sound of Ghatam! #Must Hear #Repeat
Tu Mun Shudi is desi-techno, presumably the less engaging of the lot even with Rabbi Shergill getting a nice piece of music to engage in his own favorite area of music. Good hear!
The Land of Shiva, the instrumental piece, is functional with the Mahadev chants and rudra beats.


Verdict : #MustHear! #Repeat! #Creativity at its best! #Classic Rahman, big time!

Must Hear! : The whole album!

Buy the songs legally Here 
Listen to the songs legally, Here or Here


4.25/5
AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

(This is the 2nd Outstanding! album rating in IndiBeats the first one being 'Thattathin Marayath'. With the test of time, 4.25 can translate itself into 4.5, for that we have to wait and watch.)

Lootera Music Review

Lootera Music
Music Direction : Amit Trivedi
Lyrics : Amitabh Bhattaharya


What I expected? : Class

Sawar Loon's simplistic folk tune gets enhanced by some controlled vocal's from Monali Thakur and some wonderfully dynamic orchestration from Amit Trivedi's part! Simply absorbing! #Must Hear #Repeat
Ankahee is sweet, romantic, and while Amiabh Bhattacharya gives full justification to the song by his highly expressive singing, the soft rock arrangements are just out of the world! #Must Hear #Repeat
Shikayatein is highly intriguing and more than Mohan Kanan and Amitabh Bhattacharya's good singing, it is the strikingly beautiful rock arrangements, which grows building itself as the song progresses, which catches our attention! #Must Hear #Repeat
Monta Re is usual Amit Trivedi template, a serene folk tune with dandiya background and a Bengali edge(much like Dhak Dhuk, English Vinglish) sung with essential grace by Swanand Kirkire and Amitabh Bhattacharya! Feels really good! #Repeat
Zinda has very carefully crafted progressive rock arrangements but Amit Trivedi does score lower in the singing department, which turns annoying at times. Good hear nevertheless.
Manmarziyan has to it that certain magic which happens when Shilpa Rao comes aboard, absolutely zealous fervid melody, aptly orchestrated with terrific job in singing by Shilpa Rao, Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya! #Must Hear #Repeat

Verdict : Class Expected. Class Delivered. I just don't care about the commercial prospects of the album, but if the music audience of our country are craving for quality, this must be one of the best selling albums of the year! Excellent!

Must Hears! : Sawar Loon, Ankahee, Shikayatein, Manmarziyan


4/5
AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!


Update 1 : More expert reviewers claim that Monta Re has Baul music background, not dandiya. Both Indian folk, while sounding similar, uses different instruments.

Shortcut Romeo Music Review

Shortcut Romeo Music 

Music Direction : Himesh Reshammiya

Lyrics : Sameer, Shabbir Ahmed, Sanjay Masoom

What I expected? : Fresh commercial entertainment.

Pe Pe Pe has Himesh Reshammiya nasal all the way, templated romantic techno, functional but forgetful in the long run. Remix is added.

Khali Salam Dua, much like HR's own 'Jab Se' from Bol Bachchan, has Mohit Chauhan as its high point placed in an intense melodic tune with minimal but constant arrangements in the background. Works for the rawness in Mohit's voice, good one! #Repeat

Ishq Gangster has a scintillating rhythmic verve to it, Vineet Singh and Himesh Reshmmiya contributing equally to the techno-pop perky track. Good hear!

Remix sounds definitely good with all the infused raps!

Shortcut Romeo, the title track presumably, goes mysteriously techno-jazzy with Ash King sounding the usual fresh. Situational, but one of the better hears of the album!

Shortcut Romeo(Reprise) has an anthemic-patriotic Indian touch to it, mostly due to the way Aman Triikha sings it, but I'm not sure whether the lyrics go perfectly in sync with the setup. 

Jaave Saari Duniya has Mika credited as the singer but I could definitely hear HR all through it, situational celebration song again, might work with the video.

Mashup is essentially well mixed.

Verdict : Shortcut Romeo. Music just for the movie, nothing more nothing less. With good promotions, might last until the movie hits the screens, all set to fade after that. Average

Must Hears! : Khali Salam Dua

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Ramaiya Vastavaiya Music Review

Ramaiya Vastavaiya Music 
Music Direction : Sachin-Jigar
Lyrics : Mayur Puri, Priya Panchal

What I expected? : Competent romantic stuff from Sachin-Jigar

Jeene Laga Hoon, even with the surprisingly heard before tune and retro feel, rides high on Atif Aslam's and Shreya Ghoshal's strong vocals giving an adequately engaging melody!
Bairiyaa has the singing duo again, singing a fairly fervid tune. Good effort but doesn't stay in one's mind.
Peecha Chuute has Mohit Chauhan as its high point as well as the strikingly perky setup! Good Hear! #Repeat
Rang Jo Lagyo is easily the best among the lot, the anthem-ish romantic tune goes perfectly in sync with Atif's voice, where he belts occasionally, with Shreya as good as ever! #Repeat!
Hip hop Pammi and Jhaadoo Ki Jhappi doesn't click, the former being a painstaking rehash of the gazillion Punjabi dance tracks we've already heard, and the later an all-familiar item number. Mika doesn't help in both. Just for the screen, situational songs.

Verdict : A good album with occasional good melodies and cliched dance tracks. Scores for the first four songs!

Must Hears! : Rang Jo, Jeene Lagaa, Peecha Chute

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Fukrey Music Review

Fukrey Music
Music Direction : Ram Sampath
Lyrics : Munna Dhiman, Vipul Vig, Mrigdeep Singh Lamba

What I Expected? : High quality entertainment!

Fuk Fuk Fukrey, is mad, insanely catchy, what with the addictive dholak beats merged with the neat electronic music along with some high energy singing from Amjad Bagadwa, Ram Sampath, Yash Divecha, and Vrashal Chavanand, builds up for a chart buster! #Repeat
Beda Pyaar is surprisingly leaps and bounds above the usual Mika club song affairs, thanks to the extremely catchy chorus and high level production quality. Tarannum Malik is perfect as the backing vocal! #Repeat
Lag Gay Lottery gets the Punjabi fusion sound right but is a nudge below the standards set by the first two songs, singing by Ram Sampath and Tarannum Malik is impactful enough though. Entertaining stuff!
Karle Jugaad Karle's predominant Indian flavour is accelerated by Kailas Kher and Keeti Sagathia, the Qawali mode executed perfectly by the apt arrangements keeping you engaged throughout with catchy hooks! #Repeat
Rabba is delightful, the fantastic layering of sounds on a folk-ish tune stand out along with some powerful singing from Keerti Sagathia, Ram Sampath and Clinton Cerejo!
Ambarsariya is just rightly made for Sona Mohapatra, seems just out of her 2007 album 'Sona', the breezy Punjabi tone set to some wonderful guitar with simple yet instantly memorable lyrics! #Repeat

Verdict : Fukrey is listeners delight! The dance tracks excels in quality, which you rarely get to hear, while the melodies are subtly alluring! Ram Sampath gets the tunes right, as he always does. Very Good effort this is. Fuk Funky Fukrey!

Must Hears! : Fuk Fuk, Beda Pyaar, Karle Jugaad, Ambarsariya


AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 Music Review

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 Music

Music Direction : Sharib-Toshi, Sachin Gupta

Lyrics : 

What I expected? : Punjabi masala

Yamla Pagla Deewana, apart from being a song for the Deols to shake a leg onscreen, nothing much. Catchy tune anyway.
Sadi Daru, a slightly different version offers same effect.

Changli Hai Changli Hai is no different
Main Taan Aidaan Hi Nachna has Sachin Gupta stamp all over it, more fresh with the hip hop mode, still basically the same feel

Suit Tera Laal Rang Da is templatized Punjabi melody, Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan does a good job though.
Jatt Yamla Pagla Ho Gaya is adequately funky, thanks to Mika. The second R&B version with Sharib Sabri on vocals, equally good.
YPD Mashup serves the purpose.


Verdict : There is nothing wow about Yamla Pagala Deewana music, might click for Punjabi music lovers. To the others, just the occasional "balle balle" till the movie hits big screen.

Must Hears! : None


AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Aurangzeb Music Review

Aurangzeb Music

Music Direction : Amartya Rahut(Song 1), Vipin Mishra

Lyrics : Puneet Sharma, Manoj Kumar Nath, Vipin Mishra

What I Expected? : Nothing much, after all what can you expect from a cop-don thriller?

Barbadiyaan is groovy, club track, an ear worm frankly because the chorus stays with you, once you hear it. Ram Sampath and Sasheh Aagha does an upbeat singing fare and with some neat DJing, does give a lively hear!

Barbadi the soft rock version of Barbaadiyaan is just brilliant! Riding on Mohan Kanan's elevated, deft vocals, the haunting, low pitch, well arranged track demands definitely multiple hears! Great Hear!

Jigra Fakira has Keerthi Sagathia doing a RFAK, the usual sufi-folk-rock template, but gets saved by some soulful Esraj in between. Listening again, oh what the hell, a good hear nevertheless.

Auragzeb, the title song namely, takes the Gospel choir route, slow and serene, clearly stressing on the lyrics while being sung well by Marianne D’cruz Aiman and Choir.

Aurangzeb Rock version hit the right chords, Vipin Mishra croons unmistakably and with some skilled orchestration, the song is strong but better be used in the BGM than as a standalone.

Trial By Fire - Main Theme (instrumental) Violins and Keyboard. Well composed.

Battleground Gurgaon (instrumental) instills an element of fear in you.

The Fathers Truth (Instrumental) Has some really good sax and keyboard.

Aurangzeb - Orchestral (Instrumental) Violins and drums. Impressive.

Verdict : In Harry Potter language, I'll give an 'E' grade to the album, to be specific, it 'Exceeds Expectations'. While all the instrumentals are done well, the rest songs are bloody impressive, even when being a tad situational. Composers Amartya Rahut and National Award winning, ex-Parikrama guitarist Vipin Mishra does a neat job and for a cop-don thriller, more than enough.

Must Hears! : Barbadiyan, Barbadi, Aurangzeb Rock Version

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Music Review

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Music
Music Direction : Pritam Chakraborty
Lyrics : Amitabh Bhattacharya

What I expected? : Understandably, Pritam will pull all strings to ensure a fantastic music score for a Ranbir Kapoor film which is huge in making and high on hype! Nothing but a 'fun'tastic album!

Batameez Dil is instantly trippy, quirky and peppy with highly imaginative lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. This Benny Dayal & Shefali Alvarez sung track gonna be high on the discos! #Repeat
Balam Pichkari by Vishal Dadlani and Shalmali Kholgade, the holi song, is addictive from the word go! Especially the 'balam pichkari' hook stuffed brilliantly inside the largely colorful and energetic arrangements! #Repeat
Ilahi and Ilahi Reprise, respective versions sung by Arjit Singh and Mohit Chauhan, are exactly the same not for the singers, but definitely arranged well, especially for the sound placing of the chorus. Mohit edges over Arjit by a bit in the singing department, rawness in voice contributes, nevertheless, superb track! #Repeat
Kabira is soft rock melody, templatized by a bit, but sung well by Tochi Raina and Rekha Bharadwaj.
Kabira Encore, the second version by Arjit Singh and Harshdeep Kaur is actually way more likable due to the folkish rich arrangements, which suits the composition more in entirety. Good Hear!
Dilliwali Girlfriend by Arjit Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan comes with the heavy heard before feel which usual Punjabi songs give, enjoyable but situational.
Subahnalla, even with the prosaicness in the composition department, rises above the usual due to the flawless rendition by Sreeram with ample support from Shilpa Rao. Good hear!
Ghangra is strangely staid albeit the singers being concerned is Rekha Bharadwaj and Vishal Dadlani, mainly due to the mediocre arrangement setup and less lively singing. May work with a video.

Verdict : The score does not satisfy huge expectations. Its a 50-50 affair, Pritam begins the album in a fantastic note through Batameez Dil and Balam Pichkari but then falters through the middle of the album. While all the songs are good enough to ensure a good promotion round for the film, the album as a whole is not enough to satisfy the demands of the music audience. On the up side, the album does scores through the first three songs, which becomes its high point, and which makes this one lively and worth trying. Good effort!

Must Hears! : Batameez Dil, Balam Pichkari, Ilahi


AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!

Gippi Music Review

Gippi Music
Music Direction : Vishal-Shekhar
Lyrics : Anvita Dutt Guptan & Vishal Dadlani 

What I expected? : Looking from the premise of the movie, some quality 'childish' fun! :D

We Are Like This Only needs a video to fit in completely though the Vishal Dalani, Hard Kaur techno rock show somewhat holds your attention to an extent.
Baby Doll is relishing for various reasons. Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh and the situational, funny yet peppy, upbeat overall tone of the song.
Pehn di Takki by Vishal Dadlani is predictable and trend similar routes as that of Baby Doll, except in Punjabi.
Mann Baavra definitely belongs to the Indian Indie music scene, brilliant soft rock-hindustani fusion material sung to grace by Shekhar Ravjiani! #Must Hear #Repeat
Dil Kagzi is serene, a tune that is pure bliss and Neeti Mohan sounding as tender as ever backed by apt instrumentation, violins, keyboard and cello. Beauty! #Repeat

Verdict : Gippi is not childish as expected, it shows levels of maturity in Mann Baavra and Dil Kagzi. But for the rest, it'll need the movie for working out. Mostly predictable albeit enjoyable ride from Vishal-Shekhar.

Update 1 : People and critics alike have been talking about the surprisingly off-tune portion of Mann Baavra's first interlude. I agree, it falters a bit there, but then brilliantly gains momentum after that and towards the end, which kind of makes up for the initial falter.

Must Hears! : Mann Baawra, Dil Kaagzi

AVOIDABLE<POOR<BELOW AVG<AVERAGE<GOOD< VERYGOOD <EXCELLENT!<OUTSTANDING!