Bachna ae Haseeno: music review
Posted On Monday, July 7, 2008 at at 5:51 AM by Harshit Gupta
Interestingly, there is a lot of variety in the music of these movies too. Where Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na primarily had romantic music with an AR Rehman touch, Kismat Konnection has mostly dance numbers in hip-hop style. Singh is Kinng has a lot of Punjabi flavor attached to it, and now Vishal Shekhar has brought Bachna ae Haseeno that has a number of flavors in it.
The album has 7 songs, one of them being Bachna ae Hasino from Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahin, the Rishi Kapoor flick. Except that there are 5 songs and one remix.
The album starts with a romantic number Khuda Jaane that has started showing on TV channels already. The song starts off on slow notes with KK and Shilpa Rao both taking turns until KK picks up a beautiful higher note with Khuda Jaane ke.. The song is a bit too slow but KK keeps the momentum and the song gives a good feel. The lyrics are good too but Shilpa Rao's voice doesn't fit very well with Deepika Padukone.
The second song 'lucky boy' starts with voice of Raja Hasan giving a desi feeling to the song. But then with Sunidhi Chauhan coming in, the entire feel of the song changes into a slow dance number with beats that suit high volume. The song goes on pretty regularly with Raja Hassan coming in at times and with not many surprises.
'Ahista Ahista', the third song starts with a music that make you expect a good song, somewhat of the sort that Pritam is making in plenty. After almost a minute, Shreya starts singing a not-so-typical-of-her song which, although it doesn't go very high, is not of the type of songs we generally hear her sing. Lucky Ali certainly gives the song his flavor and his alaaps of o..o.. in the duet may remind you of Khuda Hafiz from Yuva.
The fourth song 'Jogi mahi' gives you a surprise with its first line itself when you listen to Shekhar singing the beautiful lines 'Suno ik thi Kaanch ki Gudiya, Suno ik thi pyaar ki pudiya' and then really sings a significant portion of a song probably for the first time. Later Sukhwinder Singh sings along but Shekhar doesn't leave the song unlike his earlier songs and his presence is felt through the song. Voice of Himani Kapoor, who is found towards the end of the song, is good too. Shekhar and Sukhwinder singing together give the song a good end.
If Shekhar Ravjiani singing was a surprise, get ready for a bigger one this time. Shankar Mahadevan, who is a full time composer now, sings to the tunes of Vishal and Shekhar for the next song 'small town girl', and the song is a small pretty woman and also has lyrics in Hindi, English and some Punjabi too. The song has the potential to make people dance to it but will take some time. Hope Ranbir gives a good show of dance in the video, which can make the song a chartbuster.
The originals end here and the sixth and seventh songs of the album are a remix and a mix respectively. Number six is a remix of Khuda Jaane which goes pretty fast compared to the original version. Vishal Shekhar have performed a few good experiments on the song too and the results are good too.
The final song of the album is 'Bachna ae Haseeno' of Hum Kisise Kam Nahin in a version mixed by Vishal Shekhar, resulting in a song that bears the credits 'Kishore Kumar, Sumit Kumar, and Vishal Dadlani', something like Deepika Padukone dancing with Sunil Dutt in Om Shanti Om. This is important to say here that the song has been mixed well and the beauty of old voice remains as in original song. Sumit Kumar has filled in for his father's voice well in places.
To summarize, Bachna ae Haseeno has a good soundtrack which will be getting pace slowly, as opposed to those of Pritam that are getting instant success. Keep listening to the songs on TV and other media and by the release you'll be humming them. That's Vishal-Shekhar for you.
(Download Bachna ae Haseeno mp3 songs)
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Singh is Kinng: Music Review
Posted On Saturday, July 5, 2008 at at 3:01 AM by Harshit GuptaIn one word, Singh is Kinng rocks. But there is a lot more that needs to be said about the rocking music, so read on.
Singh is Kinng is surely one of the most awaited movies of the year and the same can be said about the soundtrack of the movie. It's the fourth movie of the year for Pritam after Race, Jannat and Kismat Konnection, all of them chartbusters. And no doubt now Singh is Kinng is going to add to the list of these hits.
Though, there is one song that does not belong to Pritam. And Singh is Kinng starts with that one song only - The Snoop Dogg Version of Singh is Kinng. This one is a Rhythm-Dhol-Bass track composed by Calvin Broadus with Surjeet Singh, Manjeet Ral and Kuljeet Ral. The song is supported by Akshay Kumar himself along with Snoop Dogg and RDB.
The song, already heard by many during the IIFA 2008 presentation, is a good number and is interestingly as Punjabi as English. The song is a good listening, especially in the last minute of the five minute length where there is much more Punjabi. Akshay Kumar's part in the song is interesting too.
The second song 'Jee Karda' sung by Labh Janjua and supported by Labh Janjua is a comparatively slower song which is mainly based on the beats in the background. The renditions of Suzi Q add to the so called X-factor of the song. Still, the song is a well composed punjabi song that is going to run well with the other songs of the movie.
The remix version of 'Jee Karda' doesn't have much new to it when compared to the original number and seems to be remixed for the sake of it as there is not much difference visible between the two tracks, not counting a few added effects at points.
And then comes the 'Bas ek King' sung by Neeraj Shridhar, Mika, Ashish Pandit and Hardkaur, which you must have seen on TV by now. The song is a made-for-high-volume song and is going to be a hit in its original and many remix versions which are sure to come out very soon. Though the song doesn't have very much left after the promos as you don't see Akshay Kumar while listening to the song on your music, it is clear that the song will be getting another boost after the release of the music as the full video will be lovable.
The song 'Bas Ek King' has been remixed into a Dhol style version too, named Tiger style remix, as obviously because Dhol is the main instrument in Punjabi music. The remix is made well and of course, a good dhol remix of a good punjabi song can work wonders.
Period.
Get ready for a whole new Daler Mehndi who starts shouting 'Aaj khushi ka din hai aaya..' before he starts singing for a Baaraat in his usual high-high-high style. Yes, 'Bhootni ke' is going to hit Indian marriages more than anything with its completely Made-in-India tag.
'Bhootni ke' has lyrics that resemble the soul of Punjab where love is expressed entirely in its own manner. 'Bhootni ke' is probably the best song of the movie and it seems Pritam agrees with me as we see three different versions of the song including one normal remix and another tiger style version in Mika Singh's voice.
The first remix of the song is as good as the original one, as it runs on a higher speed which will make it more compatible for dancing. The Mika version is the same song in a new packing, and it is difficult to say which one will be more popular. Still, one thing that can be said about the songs is that Daler's version has more Punjabi and authentic feel to it whereas Mika gives a more casual feel to the song and if asked, I would prefer the former.
The next number, Teri Ore by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal, changes the mood for a song and Punjabi dance numbers leave some space for a romantic song, typical of Rahat for past some time, be it O re Piya of Aaja Nachle, Bol na Halke Halke of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, or Falak Tak of Tashan. Typically again, Rahat is a singer who has never failed a song and this one is no exception. Shreya starts off the song with Rahat having an entry through his alaps after a minute and half.
A new experiment in the song is where Shreya and Rahat both sing lines together but Rahat's voice seems to be in backdrop with Shreya singing in front. A chorus that goes uncredited has also given its taste to the song, though I could not understand the language which is probably Rajasthani or some similar dialect.
And then there is a Lounge mix to this too!
Believe it or not (you will when you listen to it), Pritam has made almost an entire new song in the name of lounge mix as the flavor of the song seems to have changed. The song uses some traditional instruments too but they have been given limited access here so they don't affect the song in a bad way. And hence, this lounge version of Clinton and Eric Pillai also turns out to be a song worth listening.
But fact told, 'original is original' is what comes to my mind when I go back to the original version. A wonderful song, in an album that lies in a completely different territory than the song belongs to.
Back to Punjab, Singhs and Dance numbers. 'Talli Hua' is Neeraj Shridhar in a slightly newer territory and he has done his job well. 'Talli Hua' is a song that is Hindi-Punjabi whereas Neeraj is primarily known for English-Hindi numbers. The song is well supported by Labh Janjua as one doesn't easily understand where the two singers exchange voices.
The remix version that adds rap and Style Bhai adds to tempo of the song too and the version comes out well. Neeraj may once again have a hit to his name though it is not expected to catch up with the heights of Hare Krishna Hare Raam or even Kismat Konnection as those are the in the comfort zone of the Bombay Vikings leader.
To summarize, Singh is Kinng is yet another feather in Pritam's cap, especially as he gets into full-fledged Punjabi flavor in some places, which I expect would be required by the movie too.
As an album, Singh is Kinng is a Must Buy if you like Punjabi hip hop music. The only negative point of the music is that in some places it gets too Punjabi which may not be understood by entire Hindi audiences, especially those in southern parts of India. Else, the bottomline is that Singh is Kinng rocks.
Kismat Konnection: music review
Posted On Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at at 2:55 AM by Harshit GuptaIf it was Life in a Metro in 2007, it is Kismat Konnection in 2008.
Yes, Pritam has once again come up with one of the best albums of the year. The difference is of the theme, and the similarity is that every song of the album rocks. And I think everyone is going to love this one too.
Neeraj Shridhar has rocked us with his Kismat Konnection ho jaye. Atif has entered our hearts with Bakhuda tumhi ho. And now, it's Mohit Chauhan with asking 'Is this love'.
Overall, the album has 5 songs in 11 avatars. And everyone is lovable. In every avatar.
First talk about Kismat Konnection ho jaaye. I don't think I need to review the song as it has been viewed enough already on TV. The remix of the song is good too and is going to be on the dance floors for a long long time. The song in its remix version shows the Hare Krishna Hare Rama touch more than in original.
Next comes Bakhuda tumhi ho. Bakhuda yehi hai. This is the song. Atif has sung a duet probably for the first time in a movie and the voice of Alka Yagnik comes as a little surprise towards the end of the song. The song has been well supported by Alka as she hasn't been given the high 'Atif-pitch' lines of the song.
The remix version starts well too, with Atif's Alaap and the female background voices rendering 'Tumhi Lamhaton mein' running simultaneously. The song picks height slowly and Atif again rocks.
Hardkaur and Akriti Kakkar are two names which have be in many chartbustersin recent past. The next song 'Move Your Body', sung by Shaan, Suhail, hardpour and Akriti is a dance member that comes in as a the third song of the album. Though there is not a lot that is new in the music, the song is almost sure to be a hit with the lines, 'Saade Naal Karle Party, Kudi tu Lagti hai naughty.'
The song is in three versions but only the remix is where you find some significant difference as the other too versions only differ in voices in a song where voices are suppressed under musical instruments. The remix too is fine with more of English rap lines in between the Hindi-Punjabi lyrics.
And then comes another duet from another band leader, Mohit Chauhan, 'Is this love'. The song starts with the ever-so-sweet voice of Shreya and Mohit comes in after a little music and gets into the rhythm of the beautiful love song in a superb way. Looks like the making of another hit from him after Tum se hi of Jab we met.
The remix version of the song is made well too, with Shreya coming in later this time, almost in the mid of song.
Soniye Ve Soniye is the last song of the album sung by Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan. The mood of the song is clear by the lyrics of the song. The Punjabi-Hindi dance number is a try to cash the success of Nagada of Jab we Met and it seems the song will be a hit too.
Punjabi-Hindi songs are always good to remix and Soniye Ve Soniye has been no exception. The song is well remixed and the dhol touch is lessened to give a more groovy effect and the final result is good again.
In short, Kismat Konnection is something we were expecting for. It's a great album with a number of hip-hop-and-hit songs. Two songs are already hit and I expect the others to be hit as well. The only question that now exists is how will the movie be. But however it be, Kismat Konnection the album is worth a buy.
Thodi Life Thoda Magic Music Review
Posted On Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at at 11:42 PM by Harshit GuptaIn one word, it's Old. And it's not gold at least. With its music, Thodi Life Thoda Magic seems to be a movie of '90s. Even with some good tracks in the movie, it seems like the movie is behind its time.
The movie, which has its name conflicts unresolved with Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic got it music launched by Amitabh Bachchan. The album has 5 tracks plus 2 remixes and a sad version, making the count go eight.
The first song, 'Thoda sa Gham Ho, Thodi Khushi Ho' starts with a music that may remind you of '60s or '70s, but once Sonu Nigam comes in with his typical soft touch, the song turns out to be a good soothing number.
The lyrics of the song are good too. And probably for the reason that the song is good, the composer Vinay Tiwari has tried to cash the song with both a remix and a sad version. The remixed version of the song starts off with some hope generating music and the final result is not very bad either. Even though the lyrics hardly match the pace of the song, the song is not bad for an age where every song reaches the dance floors with a remix version.
At almost 9 and a half minutes, the least that can be said about the sad version of the song is that it's too long. And before the song runs one fourth of its length, you realize it can only be good for background music, preferably in a saas-bahu serial. The great voice of Sonu doesn't help the song very much.
'Zindagi Zindagi Kaisi Hai Tu Paheli', the second song of the album runs for one minute and 18 seconds even with a dialog from Jackie Shroff. Though the song is not bad, it's hardly more than the length of a TV promo. Seems to be a late addition in the movie.
The third song of the album is again a slow number starting in the beautiful voice of Shreya Ghoshal. The song is very good from the point of 1990-95 era but the song will prove good in today's age is doubtful. The song has voices of Sonu Nigam and Vinay himself too.
'Tune Kahi Aur Maine Maani' of Kailash Kher is a typical sufi number and looks just like any Kailash Kher songs as long as instruments don't come into picture. But as they do, the song seems to be from Kachche Dhaage age, ten year old Sufi songs' era. In any case, Kailash Kher hasn't lost his touch to music and one can feel Kailash in the song.
The remix version of the song is comparatively an experimented with and the result is pretty good, at least comparatively.
The last original track of the album 'Maana Ye Aaj Humne' is again a song suitable for '90s. The song is sung by Shaan, Vijay and Swati. Well, the last two names are quite unknown to me too, probably not even winners of some show. Still, the singers have done a not-bad job.
Overall, Thodi Life Thoda Magic would have surely been a hit had it been released ten years ago. But for now, there are too many questions as the album looks stale. Still, some people may like it. Try it once if you still like to listen to '90s songs.
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