A Wednesday (OST)

Rating: 5/10

For: Listening while on the move, especially in a local.
Strengths: Rock with vengeance feel and the classic rock feel should register well with young audience. Good Vocals
Weakness: Lack of variety , thanks to the small number of songs and not the best music.
Best Songs: Bulle Shah, Parwazen
Avoidable: Bekali (completely avoidable)


With the movie already out and hardly any presence of the sound track on video channels and radios, one wonders what is the OST meant for. Tough as commendable as the movie was, the sound track is also decently impressive. Bulle Shah is an instant hit and one wonders why it has not been publicised! With Shaan doing two nice tracks and only 5 tracks in the disc it surely is worth a try. Having become a fan of the movie and Toschi, the fellow who sang Bulle Shah (remember the singer from one of the many singing talent shows), I wouldn't want to digress in praising both and so on to the songs..


Bulle Shah: Toschi creates a miracle. The song had a verly lively feel and somehow makes you happy. Old Bulle shah poetry and amazing music being arranged for, this song is a stick out. Being the first track it does raise the expectations from the album right away. A very hum along track and above all a music lovers delight for sure with Toschi creating 'magic'(no allusion to Rockon :P) with his voice.


Jalwa: Starts of with sweet music on the keys and then moves into a classic rock environment, reminding one of kar saalam from Life in a Metro. A very simple track that sounds like the background for some ad jingle probably. Dissapointing lyrics like almost every indian rock song! However Shaan does impress with his old school rock vocals but yet the track registers as a nice song, but not one that you would enque on your' new good songs' playlist

Nazar Lage Nah: A typical love duet with Classical touch orchestral music and soft vocals. It becomes a bit boring when listening for the first time. For the first part of the song Mahalkshmi give a good sound, but somehow it fails to impress. Tough for a love duet as soon as Shaan enters after the first two minutes of the song, it does start sounding better with its poetic feel. However given its 5 minute plus playtime, it ends up becoming a drag no matter what. Especially with a rock avatar for all other songs this duet in between should have been shorter!
Parwazen: You confuse it to be an A R Rehman when it starts, then you take it to be a Rabbi Shergil song with the guitaring kicking in, but soon enough you realise it is a new track and a good one at it. Shaan strikes for the second time, with a rough textured, heavy sound for this one. Another rock vocal attempt, this time more like Farhan Akhtar in rock on. a very swing track that does get your feet tapping.

One thing that Indian musicians need to learn however, is the use of correct guitar tone! What's with the high pitch tone solo in this song. Where did the waw waw go? But overall a nice piece that takes two or three hearing before you actually start liking it. Should strike well with the youth.
Bekali: The very avoidable track. Starts of as a techno mix before it moves into being a typical useless pop piece that reminds you of Aniada and what not. Its hard on you ears to listen to the song beyond the first 30 seconds! Completely avoidable!
Bulle Shah (remix): I don't listen to remixes much and with the original being an exceptional song, I was all set to push stop after 30 seconds of playing the track. Surprisingly however this remix is not taxing on your ears and retains much of the good feel of the original track.

All in all, a nice album to buy, even if it is just for two of the 5 songs. GO indulge!

Suneeta Rao - Waqt

Rating: 5/10

For: Everyone as such but especially women and people who religiously follow indi-pop.

Strengths: Solid vocals by Suneeta, rocking title track, a social message.

Weaknesses: Slightly outdated genre/sound dominates the album. Other songs don't keep up with the rocking title track.

Best Songs: Waqt, Lage More Nain
Avoidable Songs: Aaj Mohe, Ye Zameen

The lady who gave us 'Pari Hun Main' and 'Ab ke Baras' is back and after quite a long gap actually! To start off, the album was better than I expected and the title song surprised me, but it all dies down by the time you reach the end. Nevertheless, Suneeta does very good on the vocals and some songs are enjoyable. And a decent attempt at sending a social message across with a song called 'Sun Zara'. So let's go to the songs..

Easily, the best song of the album is 'Waqt'. It simply rocks and Im sure most people will like it - I hope they make a video of this. It's got a very heavy and divine sound with a constant bass guitar rhythm backing it. The beats are crisp, the intermittent distortion guitar seems in place and the vocals are just fine!

The next song 'Ishq Da' is pretty run-of-the-mill except its got a nice hookline ('Ishq da maar mere..') which she renders pretty well in several variations throughout the song but the rest as I said, is pretty ordinary. It's totally a 'Mehboob Mere' (Fiza) kinda song and she infact sounds a lot like Sunidhi Chauhan at the beginning :) - so if this suits you, please go ahead and listen to this.

'Lage More Nain' is sweet, right from the start. It is very raag-based and is a very soothing and innocent song which deserves some praise - especially for the vocals and the use of baansuri and a very different bright piano sound.

'Sun Zara' is the most talked about song which already has a video released on TV I guess - it's on youtube at least. The idea behind it is noble and it's got support from an NGO called 'UNFPA' too as a protest against female foeticide, but this message could have been delivered with a more powerful and catchy composition. The video is good enough to catch your attention but as a song, you won't really listen to it on repeat - pretty outdated dhol beats, ordinary melody and really everything is just ok.

'Indian Girl' is another tribute to Indian women and this one is actually better than the earlier song. It doesn't really come off as a strong anthem for the woman but works well as a modest tribute to her. This again has a very classical sound mixed with good use of distortion guitar and a table/drums combination. It at times reminds you of a very famous Parikrama song - 'But it rained' and is another one worth giving a shot.

Out of the last three, 'Aaj Mohe' and 'Ye Zameen' are something I won't recommend and they sound like just bonus tracks waiting to be skipped. The sound is the same - dhol mix level beats and just regular tunes. The awkward pitch bends in the background in Ye Zameen are actually very annoying!

'Ye Dooriyan' is something which might stick and you can listen to a lot and like the ones that do sound good in the album, this song is also raag-based and I don't think it's just me but this formula (classical based composition mixed with catchy beats and fillers) actually works these days! Only that this song is pretty long and gets a bit monotonous.

Overall, for an album which took 9 months to make (as per Suneeta Rao), it is very ordinary, but the title song rocks and 2-3 other songs are not too bad either and since she's released an album after quite a while and I respect her as a singer and a performer, I don't regret buying this album!

Indian Ocean - Live in Delhi DVD

For: Indian Ocean fans!! Rock fans.

Indian Ocean is born to play live! They had released an original live album back in 1997 (Desert Rain) when they weren’t very well known and now 11 years later, they’ve released a DVD of a concert in Delhi they did in Nov 2006. It’s rare for Indian bands, but releasing concert DVDs is a popular idea in the west, and I am glad they did this.

The DVD is around 2 hours long with 10 songs. I had seen them live in 2005 at MoodI (IIT Bombay) and watching this DVD was like reliving that experience! They’re always in almost the same attire with bassist/vocalist Rahul Ram in his usual Al Qaeda uniform and there’s something special about a guy dressed like a Mullah with a foot long beard singing ‘Are ruk ja re bandeh’ with all that passion!

This concert starts of pretty vanilla compared to the one I saw which started with Bandeh and that one just took off from the very first song. This one starts with Kya Maloom (also called Teevra Aandhi, from the album Kandisa) and the DVD got stuck halfway through this song, and you don’t expect that with original stuff! The performance however, is very crisp and I wish my DVD was as good as the show! They follow this one with Melancholic Ecstasy from Desert Rain which is a lesser known song you can easily skip in the DVD if you are too eager for the songs to come!

The next song is Jhini (From the album Jhini), and you have no reason to forward this DVD for the next 25 minutes because this song is followed by Bandeh – the song everyone came to listen to, and Hille Le – the most upbeat song they’ve ever made!

Bandeh is slightly different from the original as there’s just one guitarist (Sushmit) playing and the distortion is absent, but there is absolutely no lack of energy and you will be head banging all the way through this song! Infact you can hear the audience also singing along in this one while Hille Le is the most enjoyable one of ssthem all and Asheem (vocals/percussion) really owns the stadium when he begins this song!

The next two songs (Bol Weevil from Desert Rain and Bhor from Jhini) are again less heard and it shows with the audience settling down and calmly enjoying these two elaborate compositions. You can actually skip Bhor if its gets too long for you (it’s around 15 minutes!)

You can’t miss the last three songs though – Maa Rewa, Kandisa and Kaun. Maa Rewa plays over 15 minutes but every minute is simply superb! The Jugalbandi itself is over 10 minutes and pure skill! Kandisa, for those who still haven’t heard, is this beautiful rendition of an ancient hymn in Aramaic and Kaun is another very nice song from the same album with a very Middle-Eastern sound.

So overall, in spite of the possibility of your DVD being as corrupted as the one I bought, for an Indian Ocean fan, this is a must have and must keep.

Also, I would appreciate if you can share any Indian Ocean concert experience in the comments section.

Rishi

Rating: 5/10

For: Listening to while traveling/driving, general non-film pop-hungry crowd.

Strengths: A little variety, good instruments / arrangement, guitars.

Weaknesses: Lack of good/catchy melodies, ordinary lyrics, just-average vocals.

Best Songs: Saamne, Zameen, Samjho Na
Avoidable songs: Get Lucky, Jaa Khula Hai.

Recently, quite a few artists have been given breaks by Universal and Rishi is another example. Unfortunately, so far none of those guys (for e.g. Raeth) turned it into something really big and I won’t easily put my money on Rishi either.

Hard work has definitely gone into the album, but not in the right areas. Various styles and arrangements have been tried out, with the songs mostly centered on the guitar and full marks for the sound, variety and skill with the instruments, but the album lacks good lyrics, catchy melodies and strong vocal performance - the very three characteristics of a blockbuster!

Now to the songs..

'Saamne' is the peppiest song and suitably the title track. Also, experimentation is at its least in this one with very simple beats, melody and limited use of words! The sound is very synthetic and this one has hardly any guitars in it. Grooving to this song is quite easily and you start humming it once you listen to it a couple of times. This is the only song with a remix in the album, and since the original itself is power-packed, and the vocals have been ambushed in the remix, I think you should just stick to the original!

'Zameen' starts off very Lucky Ali-ish and carries the feel good feeling all the way. The sound is rich with acoustic guitar chords dominating the instruments. This is one of those songs you like the first time but lose interest later, mainly because there is a lot of beating-around-the-bush with the structure of the song and the hook lines take too much time to come back.

'Samjho Na' is a surprise. Great work on the vocals by Mathangi Rajshekhar (Rishi doesn't sing this one). The groove though, is very similar to a recent remix on 'Babuji Dheere Chalna'. This song is pretty ethereal and is really good to use while traveling.

‘Tumsa’ and ‘Yarana’ sort of branch out of the title track (Saamne) with a little more guitar packed into them and are pretty monotonous with just average tunes and lyrics. ‘Tumsa’ actually sounds like the sequel to ‘Lady’ by ‘Modjo’ with a very similar bass line, but somehow doesn’t score well.

The vocals are disappointing in ‘Get Lucky’ – just not the kind of song suited for his voice and the song gets too complicated after a minute, to the extent of being called silly. With hardly any direction, this is the least recommended song of the album.

‘Jaa Khula Hai’ is another one like ‘Zameen’ and has slightly better lyrics but it’s all too monotonous by the time you get to this.

The last track is an interesting instrumental trance number called ‘Gumm’. This one’s very different from all the other songs and will score with you if you fancy trance music.

Overall this album has just-good-enough songs but nothing memorable. If you have cash to spare, get this one for the top 2-3 songs.

Bachna Ae Haseeno

Rating: 5/10

Music Direction: Vishal Dadlani - Shekhar Ravjiani

Strengths:The song - Khuda Jaane is an instant hit, nothing special otherwise

Weaknesses: Apart from the top two songs, others fail to stick on, songs are too cliched - same old dance numbers with nothing special to mention about.

Best Songs:Khuda Jaane, Bachna Ae Haseeno
Avoidable songs:No song is too bad but you'll have to listen to the other songs a lot of times to enjoy them.

It starts of on a rocking note with 'Bachna Ae Haseeno' and 'Khuda Jaane' and then just gets boring. Nothing particularly interesting about this album so let's go to the songs..

'Khuda Jaane' is a wonderful song. I loved it. KK rocks this song like anything! Shilpa Rao doesn't do too badly either but her voice doesn't seem to suit Deepika in the video. Other than this it's a rocking romantic song. Specially for the hookline 'Khuda Jaane' which is very very powerful and KK has given everything to it! You just have to listen to this song for KK.

'Bachna Ae Haseeno' rocks too! They've incorporated the original Kishore parts really well and Sumit Kumar (Kishore's son) sings the rest of it. You can't compare him to the great Kishore but he's done very well to keep up and doesn't let you down. This is song is throughly enjoyable and I am looking forward to watching this in the movie. The video should be very interesting. Go grab it!

'Aahista Aahista' brings back Lucky Ali but this is not as good as 'Anjaana' from Yuva although it sounds a bit like that. It doesn't really impress the first 2-3 times but it sounds better when it gets a little familiar. The singer's (Lucky Ali and Shreya Ghoshal) have done a very good job but overall the song is kinda skippable.

'Lucky Boy' might work. The hookline sounds interesting (the 'Lucky Boy' part). And I am assuming this song features Bipasha. So, eventually this might end up sounding well in the movie. As a track, nothing special apart from the main hookline. It will work with people who've enjoyed songs like 'Crazy Kiya Re'.

'Small Town Girl' sounds similar to 'Ticket to Hollywood' from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and 'Pretty Woman' from Kal ho na ho. Punjabi lyrics, Shankar Mahadevan and the regular dhol beats. What is interesting to see is Shankar Mahadevan singing for another music director - don't remember when that happened last. So if you liked the songs mentioned above, listen to this, but for me, another song I don't mind skipping.

'Jogi Mahi' has Shekhar singing and he starts off pretty well with Sukhwinder joining later. I've had too much of these kind of songs (The name itself would put most people off, unless you've immersed yourself into Bollywood and Yash Raj for good). Yes, the song is exactly like what the name suggests. So, in case you've had too much of these jogi, mahi, soniya etc. tracks, avoid this one.

One more track on this album is the 'Khuda Jaane (remix)'. It's faster and with more beats as you would expect. Good one for the disco although the vocals have been lost somewhere in all the beats.

Overall, you can skip this album and just get hold of Khuda Jaane and Bachna Ae Haseeno as the rest is regular Yash Raj crap (unless you enjoy that).

Rock On!!

Rating: 7/10

Music Direction: Shankar Ehsaan Loy

For: Rock fans obviously, young college crowd and people in 20s, concert-going crowd.

Strengths:Rocking tracks, strong guitar riffs and rhythm, crisp sound, something new for bollywood.

Weaknesses: Farhan Akhtar sings 5 of 8 songs and he sounds very amateur in most of them, lyrics are ordinary.

Best Songs: Rock on, Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein, Socha Hai
Avoidable songs:Zehreelay

Bollywood going fultoo rock and roll! exciting! And yeah .. a good job with the songs. The theme is simple - Mainstream rock songs all over, strong guitar riffs, energetic rhythm, crisp drumming, simple tunes. What let me down is Farhan's vocals. He does manage to sound ok in a couple of songs like Socha Hai and Pichle Saat Dino Mein but mostly he doesnt manage to give the songs what it takes - and ends up sounding pretty amateur-ish. However, in the context of the movie all this might fall in place as they aren't anyway supposed to be bigshot artists I guess. Plus, as I mentioned, the lyrics are very ordinary considering Javed Akhtar has penned them down but again in the context of the movie it seems acceptable.

Now to the songs..

'Rock On' is my pick of the songs simply for the guitar riff (from Lakshya's rock climbing scene). Vocals could have been better - he can't hold on to the notes sometimes - has a kinda shaky voice - yes that is a characteristic of some rock vocalists, but somehow the impact is lacking. Apart from this, the track is perfect. Nice guitar solo and the hookline ('Rock On', hai ye waqt ka ishaara.. and so on) is catchy and easy to sing along with. Do listen to this at least once.

'Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein' will get you moving in your seat. Perfect date song! And I loved the vocalist (Dominique Cerejo). The voice has good presence and character. Soothing rhythm/groove and very good work on the bass guitar. Lyrics go with the feel and the music has nice variations too. Overall an involving feel-good song. Absolutely no problem with this song.

'Socha Hai' starts of with a guitar prelude sounding something like 'Winds of Change' (Scorpions). Anyways, pretty good song. This is one song Farhan didn't screw up and he sounds pretty good to me. The lyrics are kinda philosophical and innocent. The structure is pretty much the same hard rock formula - decent guitar solo, slight variations and halts on the drums etc . This one can go down as an anthem of sorts - easy to sing, easy to follow kind. Another one I recommend.

'Pichle Saat Dino Mein' is the one used in the promo. Pretty funky song. Kind of melodic rap. The lyrics are like a conversation really - pretty effortless but you wont really focus on the lyrics here, just enjoy the track. Also, Farhan's vocals are bareable in this one too. The sound reminds you of RATM and if you enjoy that, give this a try.

'Sinbad the Sailor' is faster and slightly pop-ish. Reminds me of a couple of Strings' songs. By the time you get to this song, you get used to Farhan's vocals and they start sounding ok :P. The guitar solo is very good, one of the best in the album. It slows down towards the end and goes into another song ('Tum Ho To') from this album making it very long - something they could have avoided (unless the movie requires it). The overall song is somewhat like Paradise City (GnR) and is pretty refreshing. Not among the best of the album, but worth listening to.

'Tum Ho To' required a better singer. The composition is very nice and could have come out much better with a singer like KK or a voice with a solid presence and impact. The song has a psychedelic feel to it. The organ has been used a lot too. Pink Floyd fans might like this one. Lot's of voices and filling instruments. I would have rated this higher but for the singer.

'Phir Dekhiye' is a very soft and soothing acoustic song with good vocals and lyrics. It's like one of those theme songs which play in the background while the story is playing in fast forward or while a couple's having a good moment in a bar. :)

'Zehreelay' is thrash metal or something thereabout and of course very noisy. So there you go. If you like bands like Bhayanak Maut, RATM or Korn, go ahead and enjoy this one. This might be very enjoyable or totally annoying in the movie. Let's wait and watch. As for the theme, it's about snakebites I guess :p..

Overall, refreshing to see something like this in Bollywood. Definitely a welcome change from the regular Yash Raj melodies, disco and bhangra. Great album to have playing in the car! Seems more like Farhan Akhtar's private rock album. He needs to work on his vocals if he wants to repeat something like this. But inspite of that, this is a good buy.

Singh is Kinng

Rating: 6/10

Music Direction: Pritam

Strengths:Snoop Dogg!, Good tunes, Energy.

Weaknesses:Monotonous at times, too much bhangra.

Best Songs: Singh is Kinng, Bas Ek Kinng, Teri Ore
Avoidable songs:You can skip the remixes (other than the Bas Ek Kinng one)

Yo! Whaddup this is big Snoop Dogg
represent the Poon -jaabi
Ae Yo!
Hit ‘em with this
RDB
DPGC
Akshay
and Snoop D O Double G!!

This is THE bhangra album for the summer spiced up with Snoop Dogg and a misplaced romantic song! Yeah, monotonous but it features Daler Mehendi, Mika, Snoop Dogg, Hard Kaur and Neeraj Sridhar - so you don't need to doubt the style, energy and the Balle Balle quotient.
It's not for everybody - You have to like either bhangra, excessive dance beats or Snoop Dogg to like this album.

Starting with 'Singh is Kinng' which apparently is being shot in LA for a budget of 7 crore has Snoop Dogg written all over it. Simple - if you like rap/Snoop Dogg or any parallel form, you will like this song. Very catchy beat (reminds me of Eminem) and although it is monotonous, you do get involved in the song and it will be over before it gets boring. And guess what? It also has Akshay Kumar rapping in it, and he's actually done a good job! You should listen to this at least once.

'Bas Ek Kinng' is like Pritam's follow up to the 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' (Bhool Bhulaiya) - 'Aai Paapi' (Kismat Konnection) series. Regular bolly-hip-hop dance track and Hard Kaur adds good energy to it. It sounds a little bit like 'Ganpath' from Shootout at Lokhandwaala and the hookline 'Singh is Kinng' sounds a bit like network provider Idea's commercial. :P.. I wonder why all Pritam's songs end up sounding like something else ;).. Anyways.. this is a pretty good title track.

One song that seems out of place in this album is 'Teri Ore' given all the bhangra and Whaddup! However, this is a very sweet romantic song. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is at his best but Shreya Ghoshal could have done better given her reputation - she sounds a little subdued. The melody is nice and overall a very good job with everything - the pianos, strings, beats etc. And yeah, listen to it for the Bagpipers if nothing else!

'Bhootni Ke' is a fast energetic in your face bhangra track from none other than Daler Paaji. And yeah, he's done a LOT of singing in this one. Perfect song for a bhangra night. The hookline is very very good and energetic ('Bhootni Ke'.....). If you're looking to wake someone up or just dance like crazy this is the song to go to. Great song for the right occasion. Not suitable for listening to in the car :P. Needless to say, good job Daler Paaji!

'Jee Karda' is another techno bhangra track which starts off well but once all the melodies are done one time, it gets monotonous. The singer Labh Janjua is perfect for this song. You definitely will like this song but not love it I guess.

By the time you reach 'Talli Hua', you're already too tired of all the bhangra, excessive beats and all the energy. So, unless you're a real die hard bhangra/Punjabi music fan, skip this one, coz its pretty ordinary.

Out of the remixes, you might like the 'Bas Ek Kinng (remix)' - more of Hard Kaur in this than the original and its actually pretty different from the original so give it a try. The 'Bhootni ke (remix)' is also slightly different from the original plus Mika sings this instead of Daler. Daler seems to have done a better job but Mika fans can go for this. Other remixes are just usual amplification of beats and rap.

Overall, this is something new from Pritam after a lot of typical Bollywood albums (not his fault :P). Will sell a lot in the north and among hip-hop/rap fans. Snoop Dogg rocks as usual. But yeah, as I said before, you have to be either a Bhangra fan, Snoop Dogg fan, or a die hard Akshay Kumar fan to buy this one!

Kismat Konnection

Rating: 5/10

Music Direction: Pritam

Strengths:Standard formula that works - Catchy dance numbers, decent romantic songs, familiar bollywood sounds which go down easily.

Weaknesses:No outstanding song - just good enough songs, Atif Aslam annoys in what could have been a very good song.

Best Songs: Aai Pappi, Bakhuda Tum Hi Ho (If you can ignore the parts where Atif has no idea what he's doing), Is this love - decent enough
Avoidable songs:Not really - Just go through the album quickly and pick the ones you like.

This is a pretty regular bollywood album. The songs wont annoy you or anything, but not sure how long you will remember them. 3 dance tracks, a couple of romantic ones and all sorts of remixes and reprises. Straight to the songs..

'Aai Pappi' is the most sellable song on this CD. It's got a good techno-riff going all throughout and as usual the groove and all is pretty well arranged. Plus, these songs have become Neeraj Sridhar's bread and butter now and he's done well here too. However, this song is a bit monotonous and you might not repeatedly listen to the whole song but still like it. Also, sounds pretty similar to 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' from Bhool Bhulaiyya. Don't think that should be a problem though.

'Ba Khuda Tum Hi Ho' is a very nice composition and could have been an outstanding song if Atif would have sung in scale, especially the antras. I'm not an Atif hater but I do admit he's overrated and needs to get his basics right. Plus, somehow the Atif-Alka Yagnik combo doesn't go down easily with me. Inspite of all this, I still recommend this song! Oh haan, and its a romantic song of course.

Another decent song is 'Is This Love'. Again, nothing special, just nice-and-mushy-can-listen-to-a-few-times kinda song. The hookline is good ('maine na jaana' etc.), guitar fillers sound refreshing and the singers Shreya Ghoshal and Mohit Chauhan (Tum Se Hi fame) have done a nice job.

'Soniye Ve -Dhak Dhak' sounds very similar to 'Dil mangta hai' from Mujhse Shaadi Karogi so if you liked that go ahead and enjoy this track. Bhangra mixed with rap and decent melody makes it a good track to listen to once a while. Sonu's good as usual but something's been done to Sunidhi's voice and I dont know why, but don't care either. :P

'Move Your Body' is an average dance number. There's so much of this these days that such songs just disappear in the crowd. However, this one's got a good hookline ('pheeki pheeki raat ho gayi' and so on). Otherwise, its pretty ordinary.

Nothing major has been done in the remixes other than adding the dhik chik dhak chik beats and technofying the vocals. Will have some use in Gyms or discos here and there.

Overall, as the theme of this post has been - Very regular and average bollywood album with just-good-enough songs. A couple of them might be more popular than expected if people are made to listen to them too much, otherwise nothing special. You can skip this if you want to and as you might have noticed, this is one of those reviews I've not really enjoyed writing. :P

Rabbi - Avengi Ja Nahin

Rating: 7/10

For: Slightly more involved listeners, Punjabi crowd of course, college crowd and above.

Strengths:A LOT of variety - every song is different, the mellow mood and good melodies/guitars throughout the album. 2-3 totally 'hatke' songs to spice it up.

Weaknesses:Mostly mellow, moody songs - suitable for specific moods, Punjabi lyrics mean you will not be able connect with the meaning of the songs (unless you know it of course), bad attempt at a couple of entirely rock/U2/Bryan Adams kinda songs, some good songs are too short.

Best Songs: Ballo, Pagrhi Sambhal Jatta, Challa, Avengi Ja Nahi, Bilqis
Avoidable songs:Return to Unity - the rest are all good.

The album is pensive - well thought of to start with. Also, note that its difficult to like something too much when its in a language you don't understand (for non-Punjabis that is). However, it is definitely something you can listen to on repeat - coz every song is different although you might not warm up to all of them easily.

There are a couple of surprising and interesting songs like Bilqis and Pagrhi - which Ill discuss later. I do want to point out that this is not a random album - the songs have been worked on a lot and thought about and generally when a good artist like Rabbi puts in all this effort, it does come off well!

About the songs - for the first time in my reviews, it has become very difficult to point out the best song. I'll go with 'Ballo' for its pop nature - something most people will like. It does sound something like Uncle Kracker meets Kylie Minogue but jokes apart, its got a very peppy feel to it - something that will get you slowly moving in your chair.

Another very nice song is 'Bilqis'. It seems Pink Floyd inspired - in terms of the structure, sound, everything. It is this preachy but upbeat track about people like Satyendra Dubey, Manjunath etc. and has got a good message amalgamated in a catchy tune. It's got a 'Run Like Hell' kind of groove and Rabbi's got this innocent voice going in this song - so everything somehow falls together and sounds good!

I loved 'Pagrhi Sambhal Jatta'. It starts of like 'Under the Bridge' by RHCP then smoothly progresses into its hookline 'Pagrhi Sambhal Jatta' which has a very very nice and soothing melody. It has a very mature sound and grows in terms of energy and is very captivating towards the end. A lot of strings have been used to get that grand effect and of course good guitars. The drums could have been better - they sound pretty elementary and the song could have used a little more complicated drumming.

'Challa' is another soothing song. Nice percussion - or the lack of it - as in the song has been treated with care. Sounds something like Rajesh Khanna's 'Chingaari Koi Bhadke'. It's got this heavy feel, with very nice violins, accordion at places. It really picks up when Rabbi takes it on the higher octave. However, it should have been longer. At just 3.44 it ends too early.

Then we have 'Avengi Ja Nahin' , 'Maen Bolia' and 'Tu Avin Bandra' - kind of similar to each other in terms of arrangement/instruments . 'Maen Bolia' is like Rabbi's first album - the sound is like Bulla ki Jaana and a nice song to listen to a few times, also good use of the organ in this song. The title song 'Avengi Ja Nahin' is pretty cool - nice melody again, lots of guitaring - clean acoustic guitar chords dominate other stuff and that always sounds good when the melody is right. 'Tu Avin Bandra' is something like Norah Jones - not something to love immediately, but perfect when the mood is right. The hookline 'Tu Avin Bandra' is very calming - you can just close your eyes and hum along. The rest of the song though, is just alright.

'Karachi Valie' is ok. A decent attempt at Bryan Adams/U2. Not too bad but there's so much of this around already that this is nothing novel or new. General song overall.

'Return to Unity' - Another attempt at modern rock. Bad accent, ordinary sound (same as above), ordinary melody. Overall, I didn't like this song. But given the other good work in this album, let's not kill Rabbi for trying this out - worth attempting.

So, overall, he does live up to his name and what he's known for - that's his vocals, guitaring, sense of melody etc. and the fact that he managed to include so much variety in this album makes it a good buy!

Strings - Koi Aanay Wala Hai

Rating: 5/10

For: College/School Crowd. Strings Fans.

Strengths: The youngster friendly sound - U2 mixed with indi-pop sounds pretty good as usual, the best songs are actually pretty good!

Weaknesses: Mostly bad lyrics, most songs sound very amateur, too much weird experimentation/wannabeness

Best Songs: Koi aanay wala hai, Keh Diya, Sonay Do
Avoidable songs:Jab Se Tum Ko, Jago, Jab Bhi Main, Ek Do Teen

Note: Excluding 'Zinda' and 'Aakhri Alvida' from the review coz they just happen to be in this album but not intended for this album.

Actually, I wasn't too surprised with this album. Typical Strings and Euphoria - Really good title track, couple more songs worth listening to and the rest mostly crap.

Although, this one is actually pretty worse than their earlier albums, plus after a 4 year wait, you don't expect this from an 18 yr old band.

Strings' strength has always been the sound and not much has changed with that and thats good for the album - at least the fans will like it - I am one too and will listen to it a bit (the good part only that is :P) but as a reviewer I would still be very careful with the level of appreciation.

The songs, yes, the title track is pretty well done, 'Koi Aanay Wala Hai' is a typical flowy Strings song - start to finish. Good melody and vocals, constant distortion and chords keep it going well. Also good use of voices and harmonies makes it sound richer too. Lyrics go with the song and not bad at all. The video is not too bad either but some people might have problems with John Abraham turning angel! Clearly the best song of the album and certainly worth listening to!

'Keh Diya' uses a very nice and different groove from what these guys usually use and its turned out very well because of the sweet sounding guitars and melody around it. Nice melody especially around the hooklines and again, the voices are in place - these kind of songs sometimes need them and this is one has them. Good use of the muted acoustic guitar on the hooklines - makes it sound peppier. You can actually rank this right alongside the title track.

'Sonay Do' is this soothing track. Bilaal (the guitarist) does all the vocals for this and I didn't find it too bad. It's a good song but it depends on how you digest the hookline ('aankh lagi to....') - the melody here is too elementary but is executed well so you might love this song or hate this. Again good acoustic guitars, or rather the keyword - soothing acoustic guitars - even the chords are on just a light distortion for a change.

The only other track worth mentioning is probably 'Titliyaan' - seems like a theme song for a child NGO or anaath ashram and it is very good if it is that. Good track to listen to - well arranged music, with everything in place and good vocals, lyrics and everything. But not something memorable.

Quickly going through the crap:

'Jab Bhi Main' goes 'Jab bhi main tujhko dekhun, lagta hai mujhko aise, baahon me khilti kaliyaan, phoolon me sabnam jaise' and so on- on a papa kehte hai beat which goes on and on and on. Bad attempt at rock and roll. However, you wont hate it if you're not judging it - if it plays when you're on shuffle mode - you can actually make it to the end of the song coz its not too bad to generally listen to.

'Jab Se Tum Ko' is crap. Big Crap. If you can get to beyond 1 minute in this song, hats off!

'Ek Do Teen' starts off OK and thats it. Seems to be the long awaited title track for Son Paree. Wrong song in wrong album.

'Jago' - bad bad drum sounds, bad bad lyrics, the only time I can imagine listening to this song is on a treadmill - might go with the jogging. Bad Song for most people.

'Hum Hi Hum' makes me feel they should have spent more on the drummer. It's not just this song, many others - drumming is very average - needs to be much much better. Very average song this one too, don't wanna break my head analyzing this song.

Other than these, luckily this album houses two more tracks - 'Zinda' (Title track of the Sanjay Dutt movie Zinda) and 'Aakhri Alvida' (Title track of Shootout at Lokhandwala) both of which are really good and the overall percentage of good in the album goes up significantly when you count these!

So, Strings fans must buy it as usual. People wanting to try Strings should not start with this album. First like Strings and then listen to this. If you have too much pocket money buy it for the best 2-3 songs and the 2 extra ones - 5 good songs is not too bad for a studio album.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

Rating: 6/10

Music Direction: A R Rahman

Strengths: Consistent Modern Sound, Catchy Tunes.

Weaknesses: Lyrics lack attention, Some tunes seem too familiar, and in general average music - for a Rahman album.

Best Songs: Kabhi Kabhi Aditi, Nazrein Milaana.
Avoidable Songs: Pappu Can't Dance (and the Remix).

Disclaimer: I am not judging A R Rahman, I am only commenting on the songs of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

To start off, the music is pretty good and nothing wrong with that anywhere, plus it seems like one of those albums which might sound much better in the movie than on a CD, so lets wait for that too. However, for an A R Rahman album, it's just average.

Let's straightaway get to the songs,

The best song is 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi' and why - nice groove and rhythm all the way, Rashid Ali (Rahman's lead guitarist) does a pretty good job on the vocals. Definitely a very peppy song and will quickly top the charts. Very nice guitar work too. A very good song but I have a few problems with it - 1. Can't really make out all the lyrics - he's sung it well but it seems as if noone cares what is written, 2. sounds like 'Lady' by Modjo and 'Love to see you cry' by Enrique a little bit! - plus he ends up sounding a bit like adnan sami at times - all this put aside, just listen to the song and you will love it!

I liked 'Nazrein Milaana' a lot too. Again, very peppy and this one has a hint of rock too - something you can rock to as well as shake a leg or two to. This song should look really nice in the movie and sounds fresh and will click a lot with the college and school going crowd. The problem with this song is that you will love the track and keep listening to it without paying attention to the lyrics because the singers don't do it themselves! But a good song anyway and has a great hookline - 'Nazrein Milaana........'.

'Jaane Tu Mera' (both versions) is a decent 'sad' song (something like Tanhaayee from DCH but with lesser intensity). Nice melody and ambience and the kind of song you can always have in the background when missing someone or if you're simply sad! - especially the female version which is a little more upbeat - while the male version is more intense and actually meant to be depressing - not something you will listen to too many times. Decent lyrics - nothing too touching but go with the flow.

'Kahin To Hogi' sounds too similar to 'Nothing's gonna change my love for you' and 'No matter what - Boyzone' for me to appreciate it too much. It's a very nice song to listen to on repeat and fall in love with - especially for the romatically inclined, but then I can't resist saying that not too much of it sounds original. The antra / verse sounds nice and overall the ambience is good - something Rahman always manages to create. However, when I start liking the song for what it is there is a scale change (around 4:15) which reminds me of those songs again! Anyways, yes, listen to it and you will like it - but overall an average song.

'Tu Bole Main' is all jazz. Music of course is very neat and very jazz and it is definitely a likeable song. Very good melody on the hookline - 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na'. The problem with this, and don't kill me for saying this, is Rahman's vocals - they don't seem to go with this song - with a difficult melody for a song like this, you need someone to pronounce the lyrics really really well but Rahman has always had that problem and it puts you off sometimes in this song.

'Pappu Can't Dance' - err - I tried liking it - managed to eventually but that's not how it should be. It certainly sounds like a song made to look good in a movie and in a discotheque and it is probably, but among all the songs in the movie, this is the one you would listen to the least and the same goes for it's remix of course.

The whole soundtrack has a consistent sound and that is very important. The music sounds fresh and in place for what the movie promises to be. So, overall, worth buying but maybe not a memorable album - except for the best two songs which might still play on MTV a year from now but I think the rest will be forgotten. And frankly, I don't think Rahman was too involved in this.

Late Comer

My Ipod got stolen! at least 4-5 more albums to review .. sorry for the delay .. will be up this week!

:( :(

Sonu Niigaam - Classically Mild

Rating: 9/10

For: Anybody who has a good ear for music, especially Indian classical/jazz, Sonu Nigam fans!

Target Audience: People in 20s and above.

Strengths: Beautiful Beautiful vocals all the way, amazing fusion of Hindustani Classical and Western Jazz music in some songs, good lyrics, some very touching melodies, very fresh but mature sound, experimentation with instruments, phew!

Weaknesses: None. Except that it is a little musician-friendly and not for everybody.

Best Songs: Chhalki Chhalki, Soona, Sochta hun main, Dhanya Dhanya
Avoidable songs: None.

It is for albums like these which go unnoticed sometimes, have I actually started this blog. I might be sounding very biased already, but you must listen to the few songs I've mentioned above. Yes, it's not for everybody to digest, but anybody who plays/understands music or is a good follower at least will love this album.

My respect for Sonu Nigam has skyrocketed after this album, not that I wasn't a fan already. He just seems to overshadow the wonderful music direction by Deepak Pandit with his perfect vocals all the way. The lyrics (by Ajay Jhingran) are just as good. I am making sure I mention all the names coz it takes a few really creative and skilled artists to put such an album together.

The songs - yes, I'll start with 'Chhalki Chhalki' - very very soothing track, you might just fall asleep but that's how good the song is! I can again just brag about Sonu's vocals here again, but for the rest of the review let's just assume that he's done an amazing job unless stated otherwise.
Beautiful composition, interesting waltz-like piano solos and perfect lyrics sum up this song.

Another incredible song is 'Soona Soona'. Awesome Jazz groove, great use of the organ as well. The song just takes off with the groove and keeps you interested. Interesting fusion of the jazz beats with indian percussion.. It gets less jazzy and more classical as it progresses, but only to get better melody wise, although the groove is always there. I would rate this as the best if it was not for Sonu's soothing vocals in Chhalki Chhalki.

Other must-listen songs are:

'Dhanya Dhanya' - very beautiful and soothing song - reminds you of Parineeta's songs actually. Nice use of Shehnai.

'Sochta Hun Main' - Slightly upbeat and more mainstream than the other songs - something not too difficult to like. Very nice solos, use of a lot of instruments, light distortion guitar at places and a good bassline all the way. It's like a formula which always works if done well - and in this case works just fine.

'Bheege Bheege' - Minor minor everywhere - one of those dark sounding songs - some people might hate it - not a very upbeat song and is very classical and requires patience to like. Not recommended for casual listeners but certainly serves its purpose in the album.

Other songs - 'Lamha lamha' - More pop-ish, most people will like it and a couple of other songs are also worth a hear if you enjoyed all these songs.

Overall, a very mature album and yet not boring. Hail Sonu!

Jal - Boondh

Rating: 4/10

For: Pop-rock lovers
Target Audience: Young College crowd. Nothing beyond that.

Strengths: Good Vocals, crisp and popular rock-ish sound.
Weaknesses: Bad Lyrics, Lack of good melodies, Weak song structures.

Best Songs: Sajni, Payal.
Avoidable: Most of the rest.

To start off, disappointing album. I loved the first album with songs like Woh Lamhe, Aadat, Dil Haare, and I am sorry to say, this one is just some rock-musicians getting together, jamming, writing lyrics on the spot (not too much thought into it) and putting it on a CD.

Apart from Sajni and Payal - which have hints of the good composing skills they apparently possess, no other song seemed to have good melody, something you would like to sing along with. And even when they do manage to put together a good tune for some song, they turn into 15 yr-olds when they get to the lyrics. In fact, the most disappointing feature of this album are the lyrics.

The song structures are weird. You never seem to get involved in the songs, nor do they themselves seem to. It just feels like this album was made and recorded in a week. Nothing much was thought about.

However, the sound is very crisp, very good production and you wont mind listening to it while on a long drive or on a jog. Also, these songs are mainly the concert-types, so I wont go all the way and bitch about them like crazy. I used to be a fan as well by the way.

Don't have too much to say about this album or the songs specifically as they mostly sound the same and are not for the music-lover types who think about the music/lyrics. It's just good enough to have in the background and is not annoying at least.

Tashan

Rating: 7/10

Strengths: Variety of songs, Catchy tunes and beats, slightly new sound.
Weaknesses: Udit Narayan sounds outdated in a couple of songs.

Best Songs: Dil Haara, Tashan me, Chhaliya.
Avoidable Songs: None.

Vishal-Shekhar are just flying these days. Not only can they create catchy tunes, but are very good at putting them on CD as a complete package. This album is about catchy tunes, very-bollywood-beats, a touch of rock here and there and of course, strong vocals.

'Dil Haara' is my pick of the songs. A song tailor-made for Sukhwinder and he's nailed it! The most interesting part of this song is the 'oooo - aaaa' noise at the beginning and the middle - never seen that used before. Very creative. Also, good suttle distortion guitar all the way keeps the adrenaline going.

'Chhaliya' is your typical well done catchy item number - very very nice groove - and the highlight of course is the 'nasila nasila tera naina'. A piece of cake for Sunidhi and the lyrics are not too bad. If you've seen the video/movie, then you'll like the song more ;).

'Tashan Mein' is this rocking track - great aggression in the vocals - especially Vishal. Can classify this under alternative/techno-rock fused with Indian classical music. Nice song, especially for a promo.

'Falak tak' can get boring if you're not the bollywood-lover types. It's a sweet romantic number and I liked it, especially in the movie. Nice guitar rhythm and other guitar work helps the song sound fresh and not a typical bollywood-pyaar-bhara-gaana. But then, this is a very-Vishal-Shekhar-song - reminds you of 'Hey Shona' from Tara Rum Pum. The antra slightly let me down, although a good song overall.

'Dil Daance Maare' .. umm .. well .. some people loved the song, I didn't. It's good to watch and enjoy in the movie, but as a track, unless you love everything bollywood throws at you, you might not like it. Udit Narayan seems mis-fit in the song, someone else would have sounded better - personal view though. Very filmy techno-bhangra beats waala say-shava-shava / Ek-punjaban like track.

Overall, a good variety of songs, and mostly good to listen.

Fuzon - Journey

Rating: 8/10

For: Pop-fans, Rock-fans, Keen listeners - everyone really.
Target audience: College crowd and people in 20s, 30s.

Strengths: Great Melodies, Interesting guitar solos, Good new vocalist, good production/mixing.
Weaknesses: Slightly monotonous sound. Lyrics not up to the mark for some songs.

Best songs: Suna Suna, Tu Kahan, Neend Na Aaye, Dholna, Abhi Hum Kahaan
Avoidable songs: Teri Yaadan, Chhuu Lo.

After a wonderful first album (Saagar), Fuzon had made a lot of fans including me and have they pleased the fans with the new album - Yes! The best thing about the album is that the sound is exactly the same. They have played to their strengths - Vocals, Melodies, good Chord structures. And this time I felt the production quality was a little better.

Rameez Mukhtar was brought in for the vocals following the departure of Shafqat Amanat Ali from the band and not only has he managed to adjust to the classical-melodic funk-pop mix sound but his beautiful voice has added a lot to the songs in terms of soul.

Most songs are flow songs - Soft start, Crispy guitar entries, quick percussion entries and then the songs just take off and you are involved till the end. Not too much experimentation really - there is with songs like Teri Yaadan, Chhuu Lo - with an upbeat sound, festive feel and different instruments - but unfortunately I would rank these the lowest in the album.

The best songs - the first three - Neend na aaye, Suna Suna and Tu Kahan - beautiful vocals complimented by simple but suitable lyrics and very good guitar backing. And of course, the keyboards add a lot of colour to the songs, just like the first album. Neend na aaye reminds you of 'Ankhon ke saagar' from the first album and Tu Kahan reminds you of 'Tere Bina'.

Dholna is an interesting song - Starts of very funky and for a change with Punjabi lyrics - threatens to be one of those upbeat but forgettable dance tracks - but then has a beautiful punchline/crossline (whatever u wanna call it) which goes something like 'mainu jaan zaraa, pehchaan zara' - my Punjabi not too good :P.

After the first 4 songs though, it might get a bit monotonous if you are not a fan - although the other songs are good, wont call them memorable. But definitely worth listening.

Jo dil ne kaha - Lyrics could have been better. It's a sweet song.

So, overall a definitely worth listening album. Go ahead and BUY stuff if you can! Makes you feel good.

More reviews coming up.

Kick Start

The blog is simple, very simple. Album suno, review likho. Review padho gaana suno.

I realized I discuss a lot about music and songs and how and what makes a song good, bad, memorable, forgettable etc. etc. and probably have a decent taste in music and being a composer myself, I think I can make sense here.

So, will put it on e-paper from now and hopefully guide a few people on whats good to hear and whats not!

So, in case there is no review on this blog yet, just wait a while and I'll start putting up stuff.

Will be reviewing as many 'Hindi' pop/rock/alternative albums and of course bollywood albums too. Might not be able to cover all of em but at least those that matter.

Enjoy!

Reviews coming up soon:

1. Fuzon - Journey
2. Jal - Boondh
3. Tashan
4. Sonu Nigaam - Classically Mild