LOOTERA- MUSIC REVIEW

There is a certain level of expectation from an album when it is composed by Amit Trivedi, more so if the lyricist is Amitabh Bhattacharya. For quite some time now, music aficionados have been complaining of the below par level of music compositions which go on to become big chartbusters, the recent case being that of Ye Jawani Hai Deewani.

Many had started to believe that Bollywood music was all about electro and techno beats (much of those beats were straight lifts of the songs from the far East) and that rhythm, "raag" and the usage of instruments had become a thing of the past! But as long as albums like Lootera keep on coming out, the faith in the modern music will be restored time and again.

Lootera brings back the terrific trio of Vikramaditya Motwane-Amit Trivedi-Amitabh Bhattacharya who were responsible for bringing out one of the finest movie in the Indian Cinematic History as well as a ground breaking music album in UDAAN. Thus is it needless to say that the album of Lootera comes out amidst huge expectations.  There are 6 songs in the album, each one carrying a distinct flavour and style. 

SAWAAR LOON- The album kicks off with Monali Thakur lending her voice for Sawaar loon. The musical setup here transports the listener to the 50's and 60's. This song has weaved in the fusion of various instruments so beautifully that it feels like Salil Chaudhary's work. Top this up some wonderful poetry by Amitabh Bhattacharya and a wonderful sync of Flute along with the actual tune and you have a timeless classic in your hands. Monali Thakur does full justice with her superbly textured voice. (If you ignore the credits, you might confuse it for a Shreya Goshal song.) Keep this on the repeat mode and trust me you would still want more of it.

SHIKAYATEIN- Next up in the album is a Mohan Kanan and Amitabh Bhattacharya jugalbandi as they deliver Shikayatein. There are shades of soft rock, metal as well as melody in this number which gives it a very fresh appeal and this is one track which grows on the listener. The signature tune of the movie comes up in the final minutes of the song and that itself is enough for a hair raising experience! Applaud the genius of Amit Trivedi as he masterfully makes unconventional music sound so convincing.

ANKAHEE- Amitabh Bhattacharya brings out the mystic element with Ankahee. What works here is the musical arrangement and the words. Bhattacharya plays along with the lyrics and Amit Trivedi churns out a brilliant tune to take Ankahee to a different level altogether. The song hits the highs in the mid part and is overall very pleasing to the ears. Amitabh has sung this song beautifully. A cup of coffee; stormy rainy night; and Ankahee on your iPod could potentially be one deadly combo!

Monta Re- You would have to travel all the way to Bengal in order to see around but Monta Re (Oh my Heart!) will take you around Bengal simply with its music and Swanand Kirkire's earthy vocals. There have been songs which have defined the colours of a certain area but none of them does it as beautifully as Monta Re. Trivedi sticks to minimal usage of instruments and lets the Sitar and Ektara do the talking and leaves it on the able shoulders of Kirkire to pull this extremely difficult song and provide the impact it was intended to.

Zinda- Amit Trivedi dons the hat of playback singer with this heart wrenching number. Unsnapping the pathos of life, this song is painful and with Trivedi's haunting vocals, a brilliant orchestral arrangement with focus on strings for a major part of the song and powerful lyrics it will definitely get you into a thoughtful mood. Sample these lines- "Mujhe chodd do mere haal pe..Zinda hu yaar kaafi hai..Kuch maangna baaki nahi..Jitna mila kaafi hai." This track unplugs the best of Amit Trivedi's playback singing. 

Manmarziyan- Shilpa Rao, Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya come together to sing the final track in the album. This song is very unique. For most of the part it is the tune and the musical arrangement that hooks you but it is actually Shilpa Rao's terrific singing that makes Manmarziyan stand out from the rest of the songs. This song also brings out the beauty of the superb poems penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

It is high time that Bollywood takes notice of this talent. You will hardly find a composer as versatile as Trivedi for he can work out a DEV D as well a LOOTERA! 

There is no point if YJHD goes on to win the best music album award this year!

Lootera is one album that you would want to own rather than to download and preserve it for your grand children (just like many of our elders did with the records of Madan Mohan) to make them aware about the fact that there once lived a great musician called Amit Trivedi. 

*4.5 STARS*