“CHALLA”: Okay a
lot has been said about this song and most of it is true. This one is more of
rabbi and less of Rahman and almost nil of Gulzar. And Shahrukh khan with a
guitar doesn’t help it either. But it is hell catchy a tune – no doubt about
that. Right from the opening guitar portions which are superb (falsely alleged
by some to be a rip off), this one will be loved by rabbi fans. He sings in his
customary style with a bit of besuraapan at places which is now being accepted
without much ado (Just as in the case of Atif aslam).
Rahman does make sure he puts his customary styled music in
between, like that yuvvraaj – ish chorus before the 2nd antara.
Overall it did take quite a few listenings but now I like this one. Definitely
not brilliant, but good nonetheless.
“JIYA RE”: Six
years, Rahman roped in the group VIVA to sing a song in the film “Lakeer”. Now
he gets Aasma girl Neeti mohan to croon this one. CLEARLY this one will be
picturized on Anushka Sharma. And what a song it is! Neeti mohan’s voice is too
good as she infuses a lot of attitude and energy into the song. The high point of the song is
the “jiya jiya re” loop. The way that “jiya jiya re” loop’s tune in a crescendo
is mind blowing – addictive, simple and very hummable. One of my favorite songs of this
album.
“SAANS” is
vintage Yash Chopra material. Starting off in a “dil ka rishta” style
(Yuvvraaj), this one comes in the form of a vengeance from Rahman and Gulzar.
Everything about the song is grand – the arrangements, the instruments including a bagpiper, the chorus and to some
extent even the lyrics. Shreya ghoshal is the true star of the song as she aces
in her singing. She is simply outstanding. Mohit chauhan here seems a bit nasal but sounds very nice.
The antara reminded me of “Kismat se tum humko mile ho”
(Pukar), especially that last line of the antara where shreya goes very high
scale (Just like anuradha paudwal did.)
We haven’t had a single proper LOVE ballad this year.
“Saans” just fills that void. Reminding me of “Do pal” and “Ye hum aa gaye
kahaan” (Veer zaara) at places, this one is my favorite song of the album. Give
it repeated hearings. It will grow on you in a way you would never have
expected. As i hear it more and more, it is becoming one of my favorite songs this year. And whats with the “Yuvvraaj” hangover? Why do people have so much
problem with it? Yes it does have a strong yuvvraaj hangover. So?
“ISHQ SHAVA”: When
I first heard the name, I thought this would be some routine Punjabi track like
“Say shava shava”. Fortunately it turned to be something else. Well, this one
has a slight “hawa hawa” hangover.
Firstly, the choice of singers is okay – While Raghav mathur sounds nice, shilpa rao's vocals didnt work with me. Sunidhi chauhan would have been
better anyday. What i didn't like was their occasional “Say what” and “yeah
yeah” rap inputs.
That said, the arrangements of the song are brilliant. The initial loop on the guitars is addictive. I am
humming this song since last few days. It is catchy too. I initially did not find it Rahman material; I still dont. But the fact that it is growing on me cannot be denied. Plus I am sure the video will be something.
“HEER” is a gem,
no doubt. Harshdeep’s beautiful flawless singing coupled with Gulzar’s Punjabi
lyrics and Rahman’s simple divine tune makes this song a winner. The antara is
even better. Throughout the song we hear that characteristic Dafli – dholak
beat which I guess is mandatory in all Yash Chopra movies in atleast one song. The SAANS tune in between is killer.
There are some soft songs in our collections with which we
begin our mornings – songs which give us peace of mind and numb our senses,
bracing us up for a hectic day ahead. “Heer”
is one such song. The more I listen to it, the more I am realizing what a fantastic singer Harshdeep is.
“JAB TAK HAI JAAN” starts
off in a brilliant manner. Javed ali’s singing seems superb. The first one
minute ensures me that this one is going to be the perfect title song.The addition of Tabla and dholak makes this a typical YRF number. Shaktisree Gopalan's introduction to the song makes it even better. This is going to be placed at a crucial moment in the movie I am sure - expect it to be played in the scene where Yash chopra will be fully dominating your lacrimals. This one i am liking after an initial dislike.
“SAANS” is
reprised in a sadder version of the original. Here too, shreya ghoshal
enthralls us with her singing. The version only helps one appreciate the song more.
“ISHQ DANCE” is
reminiscent of Rahman’s instrumental works "Beats of passion" and “Raaga dance” from Taal.
Ranjit barot’s rendition of the drums is superb. A piece sans any backing
melody or tune, this is just drums, drums and some more drums. We do have a
“Hey hey hey” chorus towards the end which seemed unnecessary. But overall it
is quite decent and will be loved by those who love instrumentals.
“JAB TAK HAI JAAN –
THE POEM” is what “Qaidi number 786” was for veer zaara. Only here the poem
is accompanied by a fantastic instrumental piece and some less fantastic lyrics.
While Shahrukh’s rendition of the poem sounds good in places to constipated
towards the end, I am totally in love with the music of the poem. The guitars
are simply awesome and that sound of 2 drum sticks clashing with each other is
something brilliant, a feeling which can be experienced only by someone who has
played the drums or closely seen them being played. How I wish this tune had
been converted into a song, or atleast had a voiceless version.
OVERALL, after an initial impression of what appeared to be a mediocre album, finally this one is getting on to me.
It has 3 maestros of direction, music direction and lyrics
come together for the first time. While it is not that perfect typical Rahman album, nor is it a typical Gulzar one, it is definitely a YRF one, not as good as Yash chopra's previous works, but still very good.
From what I surmise, not enough creative freedom must have been given to them, because there are few mandatory things Yash Chopra requires in his films’ music, as I mentioned before. And when you don’t give creative space to two of the most creative people of their respective fields, the results are never going to be extra ordinary. A music director and lyricist when given freedom produce wonders – “Gangs of Wasseypur” is the best and most recent example of that fact.
From what I surmise, not enough creative freedom must have been given to them, because there are few mandatory things Yash Chopra requires in his films’ music, as I mentioned before. And when you don’t give creative space to two of the most creative people of their respective fields, the results are never going to be extra ordinary. A music director and lyricist when given freedom produce wonders – “Gangs of Wasseypur” is the best and most recent example of that fact.
“Jab tak hai jaan” may not be another “Rockstar” but it
definitely is very good work. Let us not forget this is Yash Chopra we’re
talking about – someone who converts songs to beautiful videos on the celluloid
screen.
Writing the album off is totally not done. A reviewer on
twitter called it the shittiest album in the last three years. Yeah right. You
better listen to rowdy rathore.
I still remember when I finished listening to the “audio
cassette” of veer zaara in 2004, I removed my headphones and felt mesmerized
and exhilarated by the entire audio track. That feeling is missing in Jab tak
hai jaan. Period.
Final word? Even if you have heard it and disliked it, keep listening. After ten days If you are in love with it totally, thank me. If not, well, wait for the movie. I am positive the picturization will make the difference.
MY PICKS – SAANS,
JIYA RE, HEER, THE TITLE SONG, THE POEM
MY RATINGS – 8.50 / 10
(I gave it an extra 0.25 for the brilliant orchestration throughout the album.
That Rahman is a master in that cannot be denied and shows clearly here too.)
Comments are spot on and I completely concede to the point of view. Well written!
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