Dhoondein – Junoon, Abhijeet Sawant (Amit Trivedi, Indipop)
I prefer this over the other fave, Junoon’s title track. For me, this symbolizes Sawant’s coming of age – the vocals are mature and Amit Trivedi gives him a super punchy track to rock!
Padamkan ragu – Diva (Mithoon, Indonesian)
I do not understand a word of what’s being sung, but when have such trivial issues like language stopped me, anyway? There are two versions of this song in Diva’s soundtrack – a straight one and a Latihan Studio version. The straight one’s my pick – a very catchy, pop sound and some groovy vocals by the four singers (Awal Ashari, Adam AF2, Nas Adila & Manik Purwakrisna) who, if I’m not mistaken are the lead stars in the film.
Title song & Ke bin tere – Aggar (Mithoon, Hindi)
Ke bin tere is an obvious choice – a completely Mithoon-styled number. Difficult not to like this one. But, I’m sold on the title song! The way Mithoon builds the musical layer gradually almost as if he’s cooking something delicious by adding one ingredient at a time, is completely mesmerizing! (This may be the effect of watching ‘Ratatouille’, recently!)
Mayavi neeya – Sivi (Dharan, Tamil)
I didn’t quite get the flow of the song first, but when I did, after some listens, I was fascinated by the complete lack of any conventional pattern. It opens with a 3 line antara and very tuneful, full-fledged mukhda, but, for the closing, only a fragment of the mukhda – all encompassed in a delightful world music package. Considering the Z-grade image of this low-budget film (not sure about that, but I do not recognize anyone from the acting/ technical crew), Dharan’s music is truly becoming the highlight of this venture.
Into the light – Mandolin Meets Contemporary Sounds – U.Rajesh (The whole damn album!)
I really can’t get enough of this album. The strange thing is, I do not usually recall actual tunes in an instrumental album. But in this one, I sing the tune along with Rajesh playing the mandolin! Scintillating!
Kaash – Go (Sneha Khanwalkar & Prasanna Shekhar, Hindi)
Ram Gopal Varma has this strange knack of introducing some of the most hated leading ladies in Indian cinema. Antara Mali and now, Nisha Kothari, even though her coy work opposite Madhavan in her Tamil debut, Jay Jay, was kinda cute. Rajeev Masand has this to say about this damsel, “Nisha Kothari is not only the worst actress in this country, but possibly the worst actress in this whole wide world, she gives the word annoying a whole new meaning, and she makes you want to slit your wrists every time she’s on screen”. Why is this relevant here? I’m worried that her image will mar any prospects of this film and eventually, this lovely tune!
Megam megam, Sanjaaram – Kannaamoochi yenada (Yuvan Shankar Raja, Tamil)
The stock rhythm in Megam is clichéd but Yuvan peppers it minimally while handing over the reigns to Haricharan, who carries the tune beautifully. Yuvan’s work in the interludes is charming! This is composing at its basic best – a wonderful tune, handled sensibly. But, Sanjaram is the highlight of this soundtrack. Shankar Mahadevan seems to be enjoying himself thoroughly here, while Yuvan’s tune and backgrounds is perfect and balanced without jarring the flow.
Title song, rock version – Happy Days (Mickey J Meyer, Telugu)
Mickey J Meyer’s ticket to bigger, better things – a Shekhar Kammula film! – and he delivers beautifully! The rock version of the title song is delectable, though it carries a mildly standardized Richard Marx’ish ballad like backgrounds. Naresh Iyer is a fab choice!
Galat hai muskurana, Dhoop kitni tej ho, Mujhko chhuke pighal rahe ho – Waqt par bolna (Hariharan, Indipop/ Urdu Blues?)
Hariharan’s ghazals are any day enjoyable, but here he composes these three tracks beautifully by fusing jazz/ blues style in the right dosage so that it blends well with his singing. And that’s because it comes from someone as adept as Hariharan…adept in the entire gamut of making music. I wish he composed music for movies!
