GHAJINI- MUSIC REVIEW

This was one of the most expected albums in 2008 and finally the album has released and let us see how the songs fare well when compared to Harris Jayaraj’s work in Tamil. Lets have a preview into the songs….

1) Guzarish

Singer: Javed Ali

Guest Vocals: Sonu Nigam

The album starts on a breezy note with the melodious “Guzarish”. This was the first song that came out in the promos and its an highly addictive number. With Sonu Nigam on the guest vocals and Javed Ali rendering the main song it’s a treat to hear. A very typical Rahmanish melody with a booming bassline from the 2.02 minute, this song is already a hit. Mandolins by Seenu adds ambience to the song. Would have been nice if they had included an extra Sonu Nigam version also. Soft enigmatic beats and subdued string section complements the song. Excellent start to the album

Rating: 9.5/10

2) Aye Bachoo

Singer: Suzanne

When the first song was a breeze, this song is a power packed dynamite. The song starts with a distortion filled old FM synthesized foot step synth and then slowly thumping percussion joins with power packed lead/distortion guitars. The mute guitars along with tubular bells join in this power package. The interludes are ordinary but Rahman has packaged this song very well that it doesn’t keep you bored.

Not to forget Suzanne as she carries this song forward. A perfect fun filled dance number.

Rating: 8/10

3) Kaise Mujhe

Singers: Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghosal

This song according to me is the pick of the album. With tapes led by Laxminarayana and Raju, this song stands apart due to its complicated structure and immaculate orchestration. A typical Rahman melody, sung by Rahman’s latest favorite Benny Dayal.

But wait, I always thought this was a tailor made song for the maestro himself. Rahman could have sung it himself. Benny seems to have imbibed this song deep in this mind, that his voice sounds almost the same as the “Mozart of Asia”.

When it just seemed, Benny was running out of steam, Shreya comes to the rescue as she elevates the song to new heights. Guitars and Flutes and soft piano throughout the song interspersed with chorus section makes it a dream song. The highlight of this song is the collaboration of international artist Kazimir Boyle (worked with Rahman in Elizabeth-Golden Age) who had worked in the likes of Hans Zimmer has done the additional programming to this song.

Rating: 10/10

4) Bekha

Singer: Karthik

This is another power packed song sung by Karthik. Karthik returns with a bang with his energetic singing. Its been a very long time since we heard Karthik in Rahman’s music. This song starts in a hip hop style with beats, trumpets/sax with neat bassline. The chorus is somewhat ordinary but what happens after 1.10 minute is breathtaking. Saxophone by Martin Daes and pianos bring a nice jazz feel to the song. It’s the hero intro song told in Jazz/Mid 70’s Rock style with Rahman’s contemporary stamp all over it. I still feel odd when Karthik rushes through the words. A good song sung with finesse by Karthik. This is another pick of the album.

Rating: 9/10

5) Lattoo Lattoo

Singer: Shreya Ghosal

This is a pure dance number straight from Rahman’s desk. It may seem that it’s an usual Bollywood dance number but a closer hearing would reveal the intricate layering of various synth effects. Rahman has been giving a lot of dance numbers in recent times. But sometimes, it gives a feeling as if we are listening to a private album’s number( May be due to Pravin Mani’s additional programming and arrangements). But bass guitar riffs are typical Rahman stuff and Shreya Ghosal’s voice fits into this number. But her voice best suits melodies. A thoroughly enjoyable number. May be Rahman should have tried Ranjit Barot for this song.

Rating: 8/10

6) Kaise Mujhe (Instrumental)

Guitars: Neil Mukherjee

Flutes: Kiran

Rahman picks the best number in the album for this instrumental. Its slow, somber may be a flash back for the Asin episode. Guitars and flutes are the soul of the song. Hear it when you are lonely and sad. It evokes your emotions deeply. I don’t know why the pianist (Rahman???) is not credited. It’s so soft that it blends into the guitars and flutes and weaves magic throughout.

Rating: 10/10

VERDICT:

A.R.Rahman has emerged victorious in this attempt. Composing for a remake is not easy as original songs come to the composers’ mind thereby hindering the actual thought process. Ghajini(Tamil) is one of the Harris’s best work till date and cannot be compared to any other composer’s work. But there cannot be any comparison to Rahman’s work as the maestro has given pure magical numbers and has maintained his 100% success ratio this year. The one important thing is he is not repetitive either in his tunes or in the BGM arena. This album is a must buy for any music fan…..

Music Credits:

Guitars: Ivan Jeevaraj, Neil Mukherjee and Sanjeev Thomas

Mandolins on “Guzarish”-Seenu

Saxophone on “Bekha”-Martin Daes

Tapes on “Kaise Mujhe”-Laxminarayana and Raju

Additional Vocals on “Lattoo”- Karthik, Tippu, Benny

Backing Vocals on “Lattoo”-Tanvi, Shakthi Sree Gopal, Anisha, Suvi

Backing Vocals on “Kaise Mujhe”- Clinton Cerego, Vivienne, Hrishikesh Kamerkar, Dawn Cordo, Dominique Cerego.

Operatic Vocals on “Guzarish”- Kavita Baliga (KMCC Faculty)

Additional Programming: R. Krishna Chetan, Henry Kuruvilla, Suresh Peters and P.A. Deepak

Additional Programming on “Kaise Mujhe”- Kazimir Boyle

Additional Programming and Arrangements on “Lattoo”-Pravin Mani

Vocal Supervision on “Aye Bachoo”-Srinivas

Recorded at:

Panchathan Record Inn, A.M.Studios, Nirvana and Blue Frog

Mixed at: Panchathan Record Inn and A.M. Studios.

Mixing Engineers:H.Sridhar and S. Siva Kumar

Musicians’ Fixer: R.Samy Durai

Music Co-Ordination- Noel James