Music Review - Kai Po Che, Rise Of The Zombie, Zila Ghaziabad

Kai Po Che (2013)
Music: Amit Trivedi
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1. Shubhaarambh ------------------------ 9/10
Amit Trivedi's musical odyssey takes him from Maharashtra/Tamil Nadu (Aiyyaa), Punjab/Rajasthan (Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana) to Gujarat with this track. Set on the beats of a garba and using authentic Gujarati vocals, we are awakened to the musical beauty of a garba. Very upbeat and festive.

2. Meethi Boliyaan ----------------------- 7/10
A soft and melodic jazz track which exudes a feeling of all the simple and nice things of life, with a dash of childhood nostalgia. Great vocals by Mili Nair, not so much by Amit Trivedi himself. More on that in final comments. Pleasant track.

3. Manja -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10
Right from the outset, you know this song will capture our hearts. An optimistic narrative with an allusion to kite terminology, the song stays soft throughout it's course towards an operatic finish. Drawback: Amit Trivedi's voice.

Final verdict: Overall, gets an 8/10. Just three songs in the album, but all three are very much enjoyable. Amit Trivedi's unique musical style is getting a blossom after a couple of years since his entry into Bollywood. His songs exude a purpose and the judicious use of instrumentals make them a euphony. He needs to watch though where he lends his voice. He sings well, but his voice doesn't have the melodic luster. Mohit Chauhan would have been awesome for Meethi Boliyan. Good short album overall.

Rise Of The Zombie (2013)
Music: Debzil Mathias, Arfaaz N Anuraag, Ray N Brotherhood, Boomerang, Sofia Jannok, Suraj Jagan, Luke Kenny, Caralisa Monteiro, Anuraag Shanker, Ankur Tewari
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This album is more like a convention of India's struggling or entrant rock bands. For some reason, rock music coming out of India, is really light on bass guitar and soft on drums. It is an odd album, with some English and some Hindi songs. Very experimental album with a few interesting ones.

Brownie points:

• Dil Pukaare - If you long for more Zuj Gibran like Pakistani rock band music, this one is for you. A decent soft rock track with nice instrumentals.
• All Alone - A soft serenade on strumming guitars by Caralisa Monteiro. An all English track, it is nice to listen to.
• Blackbird - Another guitar strumming English track. It is notable for the fact that it's style is very similar to Mumford & Sons without the crazy euphoria they bring.
• Tanhayee - This is a strange one. Initially it feels super mediocre with the vocals and instrumentals out of sync, but gets way better when it gets into it's stride. Interesting rock music twists in the later half  keeps this song alive. The ending very Evanescence like.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 5/10. Kudos to the exposure experimental music is getting. Rock music is getting a foothold, but it has ways to go before it can get any serious on the world stage.

Zila Ghaziabad (2013)
Music: Amjad-Nadeem, Bappa Lahiri
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Owing to the backdrop of the movie or just due to a rowdy turbocharge the music directors had, the overall album has got an uncouth and cacophonous appeal to it. Even the predictably dhinchak song Baap Ka Maal from Mamta Sharma could not salvage this album. Yeh Hai Zila Ghaziabad sounds almost like a rip-off of Hud Hud Dabangg from Dabangg.

Brownie points:

• Ranjha Jogi - For those who can never get enough of Sonu Nigam's and Shreya Ghoshal's melodious voice, this qawwali-like romantic track is for them.
• Tu Hai Rab Mera - ...and for the Mohit Chauhan fanatics, there is this one. CAUTION: Tulsi Kumar almost ruins this song with her shrill voice. She is not a bad singer, but is not good at least in this one. Yet another hopelessly romantic track.

Shubhaarambh - Kai Po Che Meethi Boliyaan - Kai Po Che Manja - Kai Po Che Dil Pukaare - Rise Of The Zombie All Alone - Rise Of The Zombie Blackbird - Rise Of The Zombie Tanhayee - Rise Of The Zombie Ranjha Jogi - Zila Ghaziabad Tu Hai Rab Mera - Zila Ghaziabad

Music Review - Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story, Murder 3

Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story (2013)
Music: Sachin-Jigar
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1. Hai Na ------------------------------------- 9/10
Atif Aslam does not quite feature in songs with bass and electronic guitars. This soft rock song which is an interesting narrative of the protagonist has interesting twists with varied and purposeful instrumentals. Very youthful and snappy. Lovely song.

2. Thoda Thoda ------------------------- 9/10
Wonder where Shreya Ghoshal had been with her super sweet voice. Well, she makes a great comeback with her sweeter than sugar voice and an equally adorable tune for Valentine's Day. A lovely song for the romantic occasions.

3. Aa Bhi Ja Mere Mehermaan ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10
If you missed Atif, this is not that time. He has featured in two closely released albums, Race 2 and this one. And guess what, you will love him in this song too. He sounds more like Prince in this album, Sachin-Jigar seemed to have recycled those compositions. Nevertheless, a great romantic track by Atif.

4. Dil Na Jaane Kyun ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10
A peppy party number from Atif. It is akin to Tum Mile Rock Version from Tum Mile. Although a typical R&B song, it is fun and yet is romantic.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 9/10. A wonderfully romantic album, and Sachin-Jigar score a 2/2 in two weeks with superb music that is varied and conventionally good at the same time. Did I forget to say, in either case it was brilliant and fresh.

Murder 3 (2013)
Music: Pritam, Roxen (band)
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1. Hum Jee Lenge --------------------- 10/10
2. Hum Jee Lenge Rock Version ------------------------------------------------------------- 10/10
If anyone in Bollywood is doing rock music well, it is Mustafa Zahid and his Roxen band. The use of low-pitch acoustic guitar is unexpected and novel. Besides his style of mildly sad melodies is great, unless you are looking absolutely cheerful. Great transitions between lines which gives a nice structure to the song. The transition between soft tunes and hard-hitting louder notes have been executed well.
The Rock Version is nearly identical. For the sake of comparison, the original sounds better and it is a little longer than the Rock Version and thus feels well developed.

3. Teri Jhuki Nazar ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
4. Teri Jhuki Nazar Film Version ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
A quintessential Pritam romantic track. Shafqat Amanat Ali might be one of the most underrated great singers of present times. A simple and lovable romantic melody that harks back to tracks by Pritam in Cocktail, Dum Maaro Dum and Agent Vinod.
If anyone can notice any difference between the main version and Film Version, I am keen to know.

5. Mat Aazma Re ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10
Just when I thought KK days were long gone, he makes himself relevant. Although I still believe his days are numbered. Anyways, getting back to the song, this song is everything that made us love KK's commanding voice. Nice instrumentals with a tinge of intense emotions sung well by KK makes this a great song.

6. Jaata Hai Tujh Tak ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10
7. Jaata Hai Tujh Tak Film Version ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10
A simple and straightforward R&B track by Nikhil D'Souza. The song opens with a fast tempo and slowly leads to main theme. Owing to this, the song feel a bit repetitive by the late middle to the end. Enjoyable song.
Ditto like Teri Jhuki Nazar, if anyone can find the difference between the main and Film versions, I am interested.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 9/10. Pritam has been so consistently successful with his major albums, that it's almost boring to say: Another fine album by Pritam, with some help from Roxen band. He shows some semblance to his past work (without overly typecasting himself). The album is strange though. There are four original tracks and three alternate versions.The three alternate versions are barely alternate. Wonder if Pritam just got lazy or had some money dispute with the recording company or is it good old fraud in plain sight by Sony Music India, that the alternate versions of the songs are near identical.

This rounds up the review of two lovely album for Valentine's Day 2013.

Hai Na - Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story Thoda Thoda - Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story Aa Bhi Ja Mere Mehermaan - Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story Dil Na Jaane Kyun - Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story Hum Jee Lenge - Murder 3 Teri Jhuki Nazar - Murder 3 Mat Aazma Re - Murder 3 Jaata Hai Tujh Tak - Murder 3 Hum Jee Lenge Rock Version - Murder 3 Teri Jhuki Nazar Film Version - Murder 3 Jaata Hai Tujh Tak Film Version - Murder 3

Music Review - ABCD, Special 26, Vishwaroop, Listen... Amaya

ABCD Any Body Can Dance (2013)
Music: Sachin-Jigar
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1. Duhaai ------------------------------------ 10/10
The way this song opens and where it goes from there is completely the opposite. Opens like a typical Bollywood romantic opera, but transforms into an intense and techno-modern medley. Experimental, bohemian and well executed.

2. Bezubaan --------------------------------- 9/10
If you were waiting for a Rockstar like performance from Mohit Chauhan, here comes one after more than a year. Bezubaan, is all what is great about him. The opening is brilliant and the following transition to a hip rap is very fresh sounding. Superb track. The ending which is specially added for the dance sequence (which I speculate because I haven't seen the full video) is odd, but it can be forgiven given the beautiful track.

3. Man Basiyo Saanwariyo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10
If you haven't been a fan of Anushka Manchanda's strong voice, this will be it where you will be. She gives an unwavering rendition for an Indo classical rock track. The cyclical motions the song takes between a tune to a euphoric rock experience is very well composed, which keeps us, the audience wanting for more.

4. Sadda Dil Vi Tu (Ga Ga Ga Ganpati) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
This track is for the quintessential Mumbaikar and every Maharashtrian, who knows what the collective fervor of Ganesh festival means. A strange combination of Nashik dhol, bass guitar and Hard Kaur packs a punch. Will make one long for those 10 days.

5. Sorry Sorry ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
Amongst all the songs of the album, probably the only most predictable one. A peppy track, which though isn't incredibly innovative, is extremely catchy. Is it enjoyable? Hell yes!

6. Kar Ja Re Ya Mar Ja Re ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
An unexpectedly zesty dance track. Perfect for some power packed performance. A short, invigorating semi-instrumental. The opening and ending is a little creepy.

7. Psycho Re ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
Did anyone ask for a rowdy track to forget all the rules and uninhibited fun? A raw, raucous track with typical south Indians beats brings two singers of different generations together: Mika Singh and Udit Narayan. Forget the norm, and enjoy it for what it is.

8. Shambhu Sutaya -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
Ditto as above in terms of the intended audience, except this one is more of a devotional track than just-for-fun track. Shankar Mahadevan reminds us of his Indian classical wizardry, while Vishal Dadlani's beseeching voice provides an awesome compliment. A surefire hit this year come Ganpati.

9. Chandu Ki Girl Friend ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10
Peppy, nutty song. The tune and beats are very 90s like, and it takes a while to get into the theme of the song. The lyrics slowly sucks the listener into it's fun. Not bad.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 10/10. Couldn't wait till I got to the overall comments section. This album by Sachin-Jigar is up there with some of the greatest albums by ARR or Pritam or Vishal-Shekhar . The album is a blast of fresh air and gives us a break from the melodies of Pritam while not being a totally fringe album like Gangs of Wasseypur. They deserve a great deal of appreciation for this album. Not one track will bore you.

Special 26 (2013)
Music: M. M. Kreem
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This is a typical M.M. Kreem album. Unassuming and focusing more on the tune than the fanfare. The Criminal, Jism and Sur fame musician delivers another decent album. The songs don't necessarily deserve a great deal of criticism, but the album feels a bit cliche. Nothing wrong with the tracks, it's just that there is not much novelty in the tunes and beats.
If you loved him in his previous albums you will find the below interesting.

Brownie points:

• Kaun Mera - The version by Papon amongst three versions of the song is the best. It is soft and melodious and is accompanied with sufficient instrumentals to keep it engaging compared to the other unplugged versions.

Vishwaroop (2013)
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
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In a string of busts, this is another one from the once prolific music trio. The album has a apocalyptic social feel to it, with it being neither intense in an Indian classical way or the rock way. The songs have no depth. The album completely fails to connect with our emotions. The only noteworthy aspect of it is Kamal Haasan doing playback for some songs. Otherwise, forgettable.

Listen... Amaya (2012)
Music: Indraneel Hariharan
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Just a couple of jingles, coffee advertisement and remix of a classic song. That is the best description for a bland album which might as well put one to a sound  sleep. Don't Listen... Amaya!Duhaai - ABCD Any Body Can DanceBezubaan - ABCD Any Body Can DanceMan Basiyo Saanwariyo - ABCD Any Body Can DanceSadda Dil Vi Tu (Ga Ga Ga Ganpati)- ABCD Any Body Can DanceSorry Sorry - ABCD Any Body Can DanceKar Ja Re Ya Mar Ja Re - ABCD Any Body Can DancePsycho Re - ABCD Any Body Can DanceShambhu Sutaya - ABCD Any Body Can DanceChandu Ki Girl Friend - ABCD Any Body Can DanceKaun Mera - Special 26