JODHAA AKBAR MUSIC REVIEW
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
When the best Music Director in a country rich is musical talent and culture starts doing just one or two Bollywood film soundtracks in a year, the anticipation threshold rises to certain high levels. A much awaited musical release of “Jodhaa Akbar” comes out as a breather at a time when nearly all Bollywood soundtracks sound the same with the club remixes and catchy drum patterns and baselines.
A.R. Rahman takes you away from the present day to a period where music was pure and created from real instruments. One can listen to this album and understand the sheer brilliance of this man and why he is the only one who can deal with thematic music and periodic film score like none other. A combination of A.R. Rahman’s music with the great Javed Akhtar doing the lyrics would always mean a lot-to-expect. This is no doubt the best music you could expect to get to start the year with if you compare Rahman’s work with other music directors. But if you compare Rahman’s work with his own previous work, I would say this is not the best of him as my expectation level was much higher than this.
The first track ‘Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah’ clearly shows the amount of research and effort Rahman puts in his projects. He creates a musical piece that completely visualises the movie, even to a person who has no idea what the movie is about. The simplicity lies in the instruments used and the complexity lies in the composition. A beautifully designed soundscape with the trademark “Rahman” written all over the score! The choruses are well recorded. The female choruses are classically precise. The sound of trumpets and drums called the ‘nagaada’ create the image of a war scene. If that is not enough for musical visualization, listen to the sounds nearly half way through the song. Mr. A.R.R. creates music out of sword swing sounds followed by the sound of sword hitting a shield [iron on iron]. Some real genius work!! This is hence my favourite track on this album.
The second track ‘Jashn-E-Bahaaraa’ was somewhat expected. The movie is a love story and Rahman makes some of the best romantic songs. Only this one has some authentic Urdu lyrics by Javed Akhtar. A very melodic and ambient track with Persian instrumentation. There is comprehensive use of some rare string instruments used in the 16th century. Javed Ali’s vocals are very soothing and I can see a nomination for the ‘Best Male Playback Singer’ at the next Filmfare awards for him.
‘Khwaja Mere Khwaja’, although the most popular song on this album with Rahman’s vocal’s himself, is the most visually unbelievable song. Although this is a Sufi Qawaali with some beautiful vocal harmonies, the use of electronic bass and strings makes the song a beautiful composition but not visually believable. I can’t see why this song could not be done in a more ethnic and classical way. I believe it would appeal more that way to the movie and the audience. But nonetheless, this song deserves its fame.
‘Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein’ has Sonu Nigam’s serene vocals and has the tendency to grow on you as you listen to it a number of times. It reminds you of ‘E Ajnabi’ from Dil Se. The use of Santoor & Sitaar in the background gives it the soft calm in the quieter parts. But a good mix of the song takes it higher into the chorus areas bringing alive the tension in the movie before dropping back unnoticeably into the quieter parts. Again, a Master’s work!! This song is sure to make it to the charts soon.
‘Mann Mohanaa’ is a song that does not add much value to the overall album. One would probably not even notice this song in the movie. The orchestration is classically rich and very well executed but lacks a punch. There is nothing extraordinary in this song that would attract attention. A very basic composition and no production marvels in this. Skip this track unless you want to listen to it a number of times and force yourself into liking this song.
The ‘Jashn-E-Bahaaraa’ flute instrumental is one of the most relaxing compositions in a long time. Try listening to it with dim lights and eyes closed on a good sound system. Or try this on a candle light dinner with a loved one. I am sure it will create an impression on a special someone about your music taste. The flute performance and recording is mesmerising. A true lounge track and a must as a background score at Asian weddings.
The ‘Khwaja Mere Khwaja’ instrumental, although more authentic than the original, sounds very similar to the title track of ‘Zubeeida’. I would have imagined this instrumentation to be accompanied with the vocals and be the original and the original song music to be the instrumental. But that’s just me. Thinking differently from the masses is what makes ARR the master that he is.
The album on a whole is another jewel in the massive ARR crown but definitely not one of the main jewels. Few performances stand out but on a whole, I would rate this album 7.5/10. I can visualise how this album is going to add weight to the movie but I truly believe it could have been much better than this.
