Nikitha Gandhi breezes through the whispery and pleasant Dhooram effortlessly, along with that lilting guitar base. Radhan makes particularly lovely use of the chorus that takes up almost the last...
Continue reading...Babumoshai Bandookbaaz (Music review), Hindi – Gaurav Dagaonkar, Joel Dubba, Abhilash Lakra and Debojyoti Mishra
In Barfani, Gaurav uses Jog raaga beautifully to create a deeply involving melody that’s a throwback to an earlier time. Armaan Malik and Orunima Bhattacharya excel in their respective versions....
Continue reading...Mersal (Music review), Tamil – A R Rahman
Maacho, with its dramatically diverse soundscape, is Rahman throwing everything including the kitchen sink at it! Awkwardly enough, with adequate gibberish, it sounds like a Harris Jayaraj song – a...
Continue reading...En Aaloda Seruppa Kaanom (Music review), Tamil – Ishaan Dev
Iravil varukira is Shreya’s show… almost all the way! She’s impeccable, as expected, but ‘almost’ because Ishaan, interestingly, throws in so many things into it – exquisite orchestration (particularly that...
Continue reading...Paisa Vasool (Music review), Telugu – Anup Rubens
The title song—with the mandatory inclusion of ‘Tsunami’—has Daler Mehndi headlining the exuberant faux-Punjabi template. In Mama ek peg la, Balakrishna raps his way to seeking that elusive peg set...
Continue reading...Lucknow Central (Music review), Hindi – Arjunna Harjaie, Rochak Kohli, Tanishk Bagchi and Mychael Danna
Kaavaan kaavaan, Arjunna Harjaie’s rearranged version of Mychael Danna’s Monsoon Wedding number, Aj mera jee karda, retains the original’s heady dhol-based Punjabi mix, with Divya Kumar rocking the lively rendition....
Continue reading...Velipadinte Pusthakam (Music review), Malayalam – Shaan Rahman
Shaan exploits Eantammede jimikki kammal‘s hook thoroughly, with Vineeth and Renjith Unni leading amidst lively background vocals. M G Sreekumar rocks the jaunty melody of Karayum kadalum, even as Shaan...
Continue reading...Pullikkaran Staraa (Music review), Malayalam – M.Jayachandran
Sreya’s exuberant voice and the generally bouncy tune props Tapp tapp; a simple and catchy song with an earworm’ish hook! Kavalam painkili is an interesting mix – Jayachandran adds Eastern...
Continue reading...A Gentleman (Music review), Hindi – Sachin-Jigar
Disco disco supposedly had some input from Karan Johar. It shows. Amidst compelling 80s-style disco funk from Malayalam and Zeb’s Ishquiya (Lipstick Under My Burkha), this one’s bland Punjabicized abomination....
Continue reading...Bareilly Ki Barfi (Music review), Hindi – Assorted composers
Tanishk Bagchi’s Sweety tera is built efficiently around the hook and with that catchy rhythm, it works effortlessly. Tanishk’s other composition that he shares credit with Vayu—Twist kamariya—isn’t quite as...
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