Archive for the ‘Salaam Namaste’ Category
Bollywood Needs To Change Its Act
Laugh-A-Thons Pack A Punch
Chords & Notes
Chords & Notes
NANHE JAISALMER
Eros Music, Rs.149
This film has Himesh Reshammiya as its music director. And needless to say, he ends up singing most of the songs himself. But alas! The songs he makes others sing are far more melodious than those he sings. It only reinstates one’s faith in him
as a music director rather than as a singer. But then, he has a fan following which would like songs like “Ulfat”, “Ranjhna” and “Lamha Lamha” in the film. “Ulfat” and “Ranjna” are typical ‘celebration’ songs beginning with his typical ‘oooo’ that stretches endlessly. He has employed some Rajasthani flavour in these songs through the use of local musical instruments, but he blends it with his trademark music style that spoils the originality. From an average listener’s standards these are foot tapping however. But the songs “Nanhe Yar” and “Kesaria” — the latter based on the Rajasthani folk song “Kesaria Padharo Mare Des” — sung by Sonu Nigam are melodious and hummable. These two soft songs are the saving grace of the album.
Hit Trax, Electric Dance Trax (both instrumental)
YRF Music, Rs.99 each
Where words fail, music speaks, said Hans Christian Andersen. One can understand why. There is something about good music that sparkles like the pixie dust of his fairytales. And it doesn’t need words. In a delightful departure from Bollywood&#
8217;s dreary culture of uninspiring, and often meaningless, lyrics, Yash Raj Films, the production house associated with super hits and chartbusters, has brought out two instrumental compilations, “Hit Trax” and “Electric Dance Trax”, each priced at Rs.99.
“Hit Trax” features 14 songs from recent hits from the Yash Raj banner. The first track, “Chand Sifarish” from Fanaa lends itself beautifully to instrumentation, with its entrancing tabla beats and catchy melody. This is followed by “Dhadak Dhadak” and “Chup Chup Ke” from Bunty Aur Bubli and numbers from Salaam Namaste, Hum Tum and Neal n Nikki. There is also “Ruk Ja O Dil Deewane” from Dilwale Dunhaniya Le Jayenge, the sole tribute to the previous millennium. While most tracks sound almost as good as the original songs with lyrics, some, like “Chakde” from Hum Tum, which was lauded by one and all for its zesty vocals, sound formulaic, thanks to lack of instrumental experimentation.
In contrast, there is nothing electric about the dance tracks in the second CD. Most songs, like “Kajra Re” from Bunty Aur Babli and “Sharara” from Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, are not half as emphatic without the vocals, and one simply cannot dance to them. Better use of string instruments like guitar might have salvaged tracks like “Gore Gore” from Hum Tum. Violins and flute do not make a dance track. But all said and done, the 15 songs in this CD are still worth humming along to, even the one from Silsila, “Ladki Hai Ya Shola”.
MOHABBATEIN LOVE THEMES
INSTRUMENTAL
YRF Music, Rs.99
One of those rare albums, it is a compilation of instrumental versions of hit songs of Yash Raj films released in the last 15 years. As per the title all are soft romantic songs which linger in the memory of music lovers. Some of the memorable ones i
nclude “Humko Humi Se Chura Lo” from Mohabbatein, “Tere Liye” from Veer Zaara , “Tujhe Dekha To” from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and “Jaadu Teri Nazar” from Darr. Listening to all the songs from the same banner also makes you realise how in the antaras the music director uses the music of previous hits to keep the brand identity going. As the music rights of some of the songs featured on the album belong to some other music company, the music has been re-recorded as per the provisions of the Copyright Act. A good time-pass and a reassertion of the fact that words can get repetitive, music is timeless.
(Compiled by R.S. and A.K.)
Hindu On Net