Ankhiyan udeek diya gets a spirited prelude courtesy Arshad Khan’s israj before the lively drums kick in, paving way for Shilpa. She is fantastic in handling the familiar tune, with a lovely command for parts like ‘Aaja pardesiya’. For Aj latha naio, Shilpa turns it into a sonorously ambient package, with the music—headlined by Pranai Gurung’s guitar—evoking the feel of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Yaaram (Ek Thi Daayan). Shilpa’s Akhiyan nu rehn de is as inventive as , playing around with the antara, and with an extended rock prelude, supported beautifully by Bhanu Mendiratta’s guitar. Duma dum works largely by the original’s charm itself, but Shilpa’s rendition, layered impeccably with Sharat Chandra Srivastava’s violin, is definitely an interesting interpretation. Shilpa takes on Aaye na balam slowly and steady, expressing it wonderfully. Arshad’s israj-led support is amazing too. Challa, with lyrics by Shellee, is the album’s best, almost sounding like an Avial song, with Sharat pulling off a Stéphane Grappelli-style (Conversations, with L.Subramaniam) violin, with fantastic guitar by Bhanu, all along Shilpa’s ethereal vocals. Suno is a deeply engaging and heartfelt tribute to classic folk tunes and Shilpa’s modern variants are, along with her excellent singing, brings them all alive once more.
Keywords: Shilpa Rao, Sidhant Mathur, Gaurav Chintamani, 200, #200, Suno
Listen to the songs on . Buy the album on iTunes.
