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*
