 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Reviews
KAROBAAR
Venus, Rs. 50
Rajesh Roshan is riding a new high with the super-success of the music
of Kaho Na Pyar Hai, so people harbour high expectations from his music
of this film. But not many know that this score was composed long before
Kaho Na..., when the composer wasn’t in his very creative phase,
which explains the uninspired music here. And it’s a known fact that
Roshan is in his elements only when composing for his brother Rakesh,
and even though this film is directed by him, it is not produced by him.
So little wonder that the music is not upto the mark. In fact it sounds
jaded, with Roshan going about his job indifferently.
On Side A, Sunona sunona, though typical Roshan, is catchy and the only
good number of the lot. The following number Arzoo ki rahon mein is very
slow, and Aur na socho reminds you of an old number Mujhko apne gale laga
lo aye mere humrahi.
Side B begins with a weird sounding Duniya mein sabse, followed by a sensuous
Moujo mein ae sanam which Alisha Chinai renders very well. Chahiye milne
ka bahana doesn’t register. Javed Akhtar’s lyrics don’t
have your attention either. A drab score which won’t have any takers.
ETHEREAL RHYTHMS
Universal, Rs. 75
When you have two classical music stalwarts coming together, the result
has to be an out-of-this-world experience. So the title of this album
is self-explanatory as it brings flautist Pt. Ronu Majumdar and percussionist
Ustad Zakir Hussain together, to play their version of the popular Raga
Rageshree, which is said to be one of the sweetest ragas. The raga is
supposed to depict the various moods in a human being’s life, and
different emotions like romance, sorrow, dreams. In this album you get
to hear on Side A Raag Rageshri as Alaap, Jod and Jhala, and on Side B
as Vilambit, Gat in Jhaptaal ten beats and Drut teen taal sixteen beats.
It’s a treat for the ears, with both the maestros sharing a good
rapport and getting completely immersed in playing the raag. Classical
music buffs, of course, need no recommendation for this, but even a layman
is sure to enjoy it.
SULTAN-E-ARAB, SULTANE-E-AJAM
Sangeet, Rs. 35
This devotional album stands out for the impactful singing of qawwal
Iqbal Husain Khan Bandanawazi, who successfully invokes the devout in
you. In the hectic life we lead today, devotional albums do their bit
of reminding you to thank the Almighty for your smooth existence. And
this album, with its with its soothing (not high-pitched) qawwalis, which
have been well written by Altaf Samdani, and well-composed by Madan Mahesh,
rates among the better devotional albums.
You have four lengthy qawwalis, two on each side, and all make for a good
hearing, because they talk about the greatness of the Almighty without
being preachy. The title qawwali and Mere Maula ka naam pyara hai stand
out.
PEER KA JALWA
Sangeet, Rs. 35
Another devotional album with qawwalis sung by Anwar Jani. The format
here is of the traditional qawwali, with Jani rendering them in a high
pitch, with the typical fervour normally seen at the mazaars and dargahs.
Sarfaraz Sultani’s lyrics are good and have been traditionally composed
by G.A. Shah. Of the four qawwalis, Aisi hai mere peer ki soorat and Ek
baar to Kalme se milo make the most impact for the message in them.
BANDAR BINDAAS BANDAR
Times Music, Rs. 65
The album, part of the Karadi Katha series, is an attempt at creating
music for children with an appeal for adults also. The attempt has more
than succeeded. The music compositions are a unique blend of the traditional
and contemporary, and the classical and popular varieties for which full
credit should be given to the composers, 3 Brothers & A Violin, as
well as all the singers, including well-known crooners like SP Balasubramaniam,
Udit Narayan, Bhupinder Singh, Shankar Mahadevan and Manna Dey. Simplicity
is the hallmark of these compositions, which are soft and soothing to
the ears, are easy to hum, and will go well with the children. All the
lyrics have been written by Gulzar, who has also acted as a narrator.
The lyrics have been woven together by brief narratives between songs.
These narratives help to create the visual setting in the listener’s
mind. Lending additional charm to the renderings are child vocalists Madhumita,
Sneha Tarapudy, Shruthi Sundaram, Sumita Tarapudy, Vellari Shah and Vidya
Sundaram.
The album opens with Shaakhon pe jo khilti hai rendered by SP Balasubramaniam,
and is followed by the title piece, Bandar bindaas bandar in the voices
of Udit Narayan and Anuradha Sriram. Ae dost bahadur dost mere has been
rendered by Bhupinder Singh and Hamsika Kishore, and is followed by Dil
to ek hai char nahin sung by Aditya Narayan, in which the child vocals
are specially impressive. The end piece on Side A, Shabnam si hawa hai
sung by Shankar Mahadevan is noteworthy for its lilt and soothing quality.
The flipside opens with Chatura chatura o chatura sung by Sanjeevani Bhelande.
Nadiya mein paani paani mein naav embellished in a popular folk tune,
and rendered by Manna Dey and Anuradha Sriram, succeeds in creating the
right atmosphere of the river, the boat and oarsmen. Raja O Raja has been
sung by Udit Narayan and Sanjeevani Bhelande, while the album concludes
with Hum dost hai hum yaar hai rendered by Anuradha Sriram and Sanjeevani
Bhelande. As the last song ends, the listener gets a feeling that the
musical experience has concluded too soon, that it should have gone on.
The album is a must in every music lover’s collection.
PAATHRAKHIN (MARATHI)
HMV, Rs. 32
An album of songs from the Marathi film Paathrakhin with the musical
score composed by Chandra Mohan. Sobriety is the keynote of the score
which comes as a refreshing change from the film music one hears these
days. It is also in keeping with the film’s title which suggests
a family theme. Singers Usha Mangeshkar, Chandrashekhar Gadgil and Suresh
Wadkar have contributed in equal measure to add to the appeal of the score.
The audio opens with Lakshmichya paavlanshi teerth written by Shrikant
Narule and rendered by Usha Mangeshkar. Embellished in folk music, it
is hummable. But the track that follows, Pela dya phekuni, written again
by Shrikant Narule and rendered by Usha Mangeshkar, is presented in a
manner that effectively brings out the romantic connotations of the song
and will be appreciated by listeners, young as well as old. Maazi Renuka
maaooli, written by Shrikant Narule, and sung by Usha Mangeshkar and Chandrashekher
Gadgil, is in the nature of an Antakshari, weaving together extremely
popular and well-known lines mostly from film songs, both Hindi and Marathi.
It will be appreciated by the listeners, specially the children, who usually
indulge in this popular musical game.
The flipside opens with the Suresh Wadkar-rendered, slightly pathos-laden
number, Naati goti saari khoti, which is somewhat philosophical in nature.
The album ends with Maazi khiladi jodi, a duet sung by Usha Mangeshkar
and Chandrashekhar Gadgil. The rustic charm of the song has been effectively
brought out by the singers.
DISCO FASHIONWALI (MARATHI)
Venus, Rs. 30
This album attempts to offer something new to music lovers— folk
songs set to disco music. There are eight songs, all written by BR Patil,
who has also scored the music. The singers are Santosh Nayak, Shakuntala
Jadhav, Vaishali Samant and BR Patil himself. Side A opens with Disco
dance rendered by Vaishali Samant and BR Patil, which sets the tone for
the racy musical numbers which follow. Deserving special mention are Aho
mama mama, sung by Santosh Nayak, and Chalta ka mamachya gavala, sung
by Shakuntala Jadhav and BR Patil, and Chal hut baajula hut rendered by
Shakuntala Jadhav with appropriate musical punches, and Ashi ga Kashi
sung by Santosh Nayak. But Aho disco fashionwali, the title piece rendered
by BR Patil and with which the audio ends, is not a great shake as listeners
might have expected. Nonetheless, good listening, specially for the young
generation.
SAIBABA KI 4 ANMOL DHUNE
Venus, Rs. 30
An audio with special appeal, not only for Saibaba devotees but others
as well, since the dhuns or chants are in the voices of well-known singers
like Anup Jalota, Ravindra Bijur and Sachchidanand (Appa). They have all
been exquisitely rendered. Sairamah sharanam mum written by Bharat Acharya
and set to music by Naresh Sharma, is in the voice of Anup Jalota, while
Om Sai shri Sai jai jai Sai, written by Pt Kiran Mishra and set to music
by Kirti-Girish, has been rendered by Ravindra Bijur and is easily the
pick of the four tracks in the album. On the flipside, Saibaba Saibaba,
written by Pt. Kiran Mishra, with music by Kirti-Girish has been rendered
by Sachchidanand (Appa), while Om Sainath shri jai Sainath has been written
by Pt Kiran Mishra, composed by Kirti-Girish, and sung by Anup Jalota.
RESHMACHYA
REGHANI (MARATHI)
Krunal, Rs. 35
A
remix album of the opening lines of 35 popular and well-known Marathi
songs like Anandi anand jhaala, Ganapati bappa moraa, Ye re ghana, Bugadi
maazi sandli ga, Chal ga sakhe, Chaal maazya paayaat, Hirvya hirvya rangachi,
Reshmachya reghani, Latpat latpat, Mee raat takali and Thakale re Nandlala.
The singers are Shrikant Narayan, Vijay Sartape, Lahu Panchal, Vijaykumar
Gaikwad, Shashi Mumbre, Madhuri Wilson, Milanrao, Vaishali Samant, Priya
Mayekar and Devyani Girdhar. Ashok Waingankar is the music arranger.
HANSO AUR HANSAO
Venus, Rs. 30
This is Part 11 of the jokes and mimicry albums brought out so far,
the artist for the present one being comedian Raju Srivastav. 17 current
topics of interest to the listeners have been included for humourous comments
by the funster. These topics include Cricket mein ghotala, Clinton Mumbai
mein, Kaho na pyar hai ki kahani bhaiya ki jubani, Saare bhrasht neta
paani mein, Sharabi bus mein, Sher ki shaadi chooha pareshan, Coke peete
Pepsi peete, Hawai jahaj ka apharan, Char rupaiye se kam bheek nahin loonga
and Chhipakli khaao mouj karo. The prose narration is interspersed with
musical interludes, which helps to relieve monotony. A time-pass album.
DHAGALA
LAAGALI KALA (MARATHI)
Krunal, Rs. 35
A non-stop remix album of the opening lines of 20 popular song numbers,
including Dhagala laagali kal, Hil pori hila, Maalyaachya malyaamandi,
Jambhul pikalya zaadakhali, Kashi ga Kashi, Chandanaachya paatawar, Kaay
ga Sakhu bola dajiba and Jawhaa naveen popat ha. The singers include Vaishali
Samant, Nitin Diskalkar, Santosh Nayak, Shrikant Narayan and Ujwala Jadhav.
Paresh Shah is the music arranger, while rap and dialogue is credited
to Rahul Seth, Pramod Kambli and Jaywant.
Reviewed By Salma Khatib And Pandit Shimpi