DJ Munks.com

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Yash Raj films is back with Aditya Chopra producing NEW YORK with a highly commercial cast of John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh & Irrfan Khan. The movie is directed by Kabir Khan who’s last directorial venture Kabul Express was a flop with average reviews & a couple of decent songs on the OST. But with New York your expectations are bound to be higher as it is first of all a Yash Raj movie.. then has the hottest cast in Bollywood right now.. is based in the most glamorous city in the world.. plus it has Pritam doing the music.. All in all it has commercial written all over it !!

But on the other side the agenda of the movie gets you wondering if New York is a commercial music hit maker.. If you don’t know what the movie is about.. have a look at the wallpaper above..

Cant spot it..?? Look closer…

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Yup.. so you spot the ghost of twin towers there & so you know the movie is about 9/11. Not really about the attack but the after effects on the life’s of 3 Muslim students in New York. I still expect the OST to be bright & fun with a few elements of romance & a few serious songs.. Lets find out if it actually sums up to our commercial value expectations..

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Hai Junoon – Doesn’t sound like the start of a commercial album.. Well maybe it’s not then..!! KK renders his soulful Yaaron style vocals but the overall performance is average all thanks to simple & average music composition by Pritam. It has the typical soft college rock style which might go with the movie story but is overdone & cliche in the music market.. Lyrics by story writer Sandeep Srivastava are good & hold the other elements together making it a fun listen.. but with nothing special.. 5.5/10 .

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Track 2 – Mere Sang – Another non-commercial song..! The flow of this album is telling me it is more of a off-beat serious style of a album rather than a fun up-beat Yash Raj type.

Sunidhi Chauhan sings this song using her softer tone & sublime style. It’s not the best side of her & sounds monotonous. Composition style & arrangement by Pritam are just about the same as Track 1 & million’s of other such songs. It lacks innovation.. not just on the music side but also on the lyrics by Sandeep. It’s a decent one time listen but you may not like to come back to it.. 5/10 .

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Track 3 – Tune Jo Na Kaha – Finally something different with still on the down-beat lounge style… n I like that style..   Mohit Chauhan’s voice does something to a song.. it creates a vibe & gives it the depth of feelings. A romantic ballad with good lyrics that are perfect for a chilled out evening, sitting in the balcony in moon light.. Try it   The composition is simple with a good arrangement of backing vocals, light string instruments & a neat flute solo. Overall the track works for me.. 7/10.

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Track 4 – Aye Saaye Mere – The Persian style of this song is the work of Pankaj Awasthi. He has composed & sung this song as well. It’s the song with a message that would play in the background half way through the movie in a sad sequence. Very situational with an intense vibe. The lyrics are by Junaid Wasi & are pretty good with a traditional poetic feel to it. It’s a good song but lacks commercial appeal because of it’s theatrical situational feel. Listen to the lyrics carefully.. “Na Koi Kaala Na Koi Gora.. Ik Rang hi Sabhi ko rang de“. 6/10 .

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Track 5 – Hai Junoon (Remix) – Remixed by Julius Packiam. I have never heard his work before but this is a good start. He plays around well with KK’s vocal harmonies at the start & concentrates on his vocals throughout the mix which is a good relief. The beat is simple & makes the original more fun to listen to. The song now has this energy that it needs to go with the feel & lyrics of the song. 6.5/10 .

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Track 6 – Mere Sang (Remix) – Julius does a decent job trying to revive this dead track. I dint enjoy the original at all.. but this is bareable. There is not much scope in the original to play around with & the best creative element that Julius could come up was to add a subtle tabla sample throughout with ‘Hai Junoon‘ shouts which mix well. 5.5/10.

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Track 7 – Sam’s Theme – Sam is John Abraham in the movie. The theme makes his character sound like a serious & troubled guy.. Doesn’t go very well with John’s glamorous girl man looks & charm. Sound like he is experimenting.. lol. Good in a way.. as we’ll come to know if he can act.. !

Caralisa Monteiro’s classic vocal harmonies are truly amazing while our remix man Julius Packiam shows he’s not just the one with beats. He can surely compose & deliver good theme music to the standards of Yash Raj films which is a common feature in most of their movies. I like this classic music piece as it has some really good orchestra work. 7.5/10.

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Track 8 – New York Theme – Electric guitar’s with tribal drums give this instrumental the intense feel that describes the movie for us.. NO it’s not a fun commercial film.. but rather a serious flick with a message to convey. Sounds like something I have heard before. 6/10.

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FINAL WORD

Average – 5.5/10

The soundtrack for New York is nothing special. It does not even have the basic elements of a Yash Raj movie. No fun dance tunes, no big romantic numbers & no Bollywood style biggies either. An off beat non-commercial album totally opposite to our expectations.. and it is not even outstanding in it’s off beat category. Ignore this OST as am sure you can do without it in your collection.

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Am a big fan of director Nagesh Kukunoor‘s work; Iqbal, 3 Deewarein & Rockford being my favourites. Am thus really looking forward to this movie. The biggest advantage this movie has is the massive name of Akshay Kumar associated with it. Hence the expectation’s are high from the movie.. NOT the music.. !!

Except for 1 song in Iqbal & 1 in Rockford, there is nothing extra-ordinary in the music of Nagesh’s films. From the trailers on the tele so far, the of music of this film seems no different.

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8×10 Tasveer is a psychological thriller under the Percept Pictures Company Banner & is produced by Shailendra Singh. Starring along with Akshay are Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Girish Karnad, Javed Jaffrey and others.

Although Salim-Sulaiman are the main music directors for this OST, they have help from singers Neeraj Shridhar & Bohemia doing the music of their own tracks. Lyrics are by Irfan Siddique for the main tracks, while Sameer & Bohemia pen one each.

Love the cover with that look Akshay has.. sure does catch your attention. The package inside seems to be the common structure these days with 5 main song & 5 remixes. Lets find out if this OST has the zing..

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Nazaara Hai – We got the exclusive of this song a week before it’s release and thus have been listening to it since then. It’s managed to grow on me.. but just a lil bit. The deep electronic bass at the start caught my attention quite instantly but dint really enjoy the acoustic drums on this composition. The structure is quite standard rock with no innovation. Vishal Dadlani’s vocals are good but not the best. Suraj Jagan could have possibly done a better job. The lyrics are good & describe Akshay’s tale. The guitar solo’s in the 2nd half are great & make it better song. It’s one of the better rock songs with the recent trend of rock flavour in Bollywood music. 7/10 .

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Track 2 – Haafiz Khuda – Mohit Chauhan does what he does best again. But I guess I have reached a point when I want to hear a new style from him. His recitation style is soulful and heart warming but just like his other numbers; eg. Masakali. The compositional arrangement is simple acoustic instrumentation & sounds like a modern sufi number. Quite like the lyrics on this song with a strong Urdu poetry influence. Tulsi Kumar’s vocals are good too. 7/10 .

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Track 3 – Aaja Maahi – Neeraj Shridhar sings this song in his true Bombay Viking’s style with English lyrics at the start. Lyrics by Sameer are so simple and smooth that you can instantly fall in love with this song. Plus Neeraj ad’s his special touch to it not just vocally but also musically. His composition reminds you Chandani Raatein by Partners in Rhyme, except for the rock interludes. The lounge feel of this song makes it perfect for a romantic night with your partner. Quite like it but it sounds familiar to things you have heard in the past. Tulsi Kumar makes this song special. 7/10 .

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Track 4 – I Got The Picture – Be it getting RDB to the music scene in India from UK or Bohemia from USA.. Akshay always does it in style. This is the second time Bohemia comes together with Akshay after CC2C on Chandni Chowk To China. That track was average. This one is below average.. It fits the theme of the movie.. but does not fit Bollywood. Bollywood can only go till a certain distance.. Experiments in music genres beyond that don’t work. This one is like listening to Eminem – The Way I Am. 5/10 – only for trying something new.

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Track 5 – Kuchh Is Tarah – It is exactly the same as Haafiz Khuda but only with simpler & more romantic lyrics. I like this version more than Track 2. Salim-Sulaiman save on their composition work while Irfan does the main work of reviving the lyrics. Mohit & Tulsi give the exact same rendition to these alternate lyrics like Track 2. 7.5/10 .

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Track 6 – Haafiz Khuda (Remix) – Yet another wasted remix by DJ Amyth. This track so does not need a remix !! Also this remix does nothing much for the song commercially either. It’s light slow mix that can only be used in lounge mix warm up sets. 4.5/10 .

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Track 7 – Nazaara Hai (Remix) – Much better this time. Sounds like DJ Amyth put some thought in this remix atleast and has done a decently good job in converting this rock song to a Electro dance mix. I can see myself & many other DJ’s using this mix in their sets. Not a commercial hit though. 6.5/10.

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Track 8 – Aaja Maahi (Remix) – Don’t quite like this remix. It completely changes the feel of the original song with a very common beat pattern that you must heard on a few million dance tracks world over. Amyth tries to give it a trance feel but fails and manages to ruin the song all together. 4/10 .

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Track 9 – I Got The Picture (Remix) – Bohemia decides to remix his song himself without handing over any any rights to Amyth. I guess he heard his other remixes on this OST.. and thus.. a wise decision I say.. ! He literally cuts the song into half by bringing the 5 plus minutes original down to 2:46. I do like his work on this as he gives his dark rap a Bhangra touch with a funky break beat pattern. Works… 6/10 .

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Track 10 – Kuchh Is Tarah (Remix) – Cross Track 5 with Track 6 [5x6] .. What do you get..? Answer is not 30.. it’s Track 10. And the score stays the same.. 4.5/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Average – 6/10.

The actual score should have been 5/10 but I am being generous as I like Kuchh Is Tarah & Nazaara Hai a little more than the recent OST releases. T-Series the record label mess it up by adding below average remixes to an otherwise decent OST. 8×10 Tasveer is not for the masses nor for the classes. Kuchh Is Tarah & Aaja Maahi are probably the only 2 tracks that will get decent radio airplay in the romantic shows. The music composition, vocal performances & lyrics lack originality and the extra punch to make this album stand out.

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We figured this out long time back when we saw the promos…

NO.. Jai Veeru has nothing to do with Sholay!! If it ever did.. you sure would agree it would be a disaster with actors like Fardeen Khan & Kunal Khemu playing the roles of Jai & Veeru.. It would be so damn funny… lol.

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So it’s confirmed Jai Veeru has got nothing to do with Sholay.. evidently we have no expectations from the movie or the music to be inspired by Sholay. But when I find out that the music is the debut work of the son of the pioneer of the 80′s disco sound of Bollywood – Mr. Bappi Lahiri, then I did build up some expectations. Yes, the music of Jai Veeru is by Bappa Lahiri who makes a debut as a solo composer with this OST. He is a young lad with a few good remixes under his belt like ‘Gori Hain Kaliyan Remix’.

Although no pressure, but I still expect this lad to come up with at least a tinge of originality to prove he is the son of the pioneer of tunes like Disco Dancer. Let’s find out what he has to offer and why did Director Puneet Sira decide to go with him for what could be his career making project.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Sufi – Bappa has lyricist Sameer at hand with him for Jai Veeru. And this song is all about Sameer and his words. The song is about love obsession. Other person making an impression is singer Saim Bhat. Never heard of this guy before but I can assure he has a long way to go… especially in Mahest Bhatt type movies. This dude sure can sing and at times sounds like Atif Aslam but does it in his style. Daughter of Gulshan Kumar, Tulsi Kumar joins Saim but is not as noticeable as him.

On the music side, Bappa crosses this song between rock and sufi. It’s nothing new and sounds similar to a number of Pakistani rock bands. What I like is the instrumentation. The start of the album with some soothing flute is always a plus. Sitar, Tabla are other Indian instruments that blend with the electric guitars, drums and a good set of keyboards. The composition seems heard of thus lacks insight. Good song though – 7/10.

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Track 2 – Tennu Le – By far the best track on the CD. Once again, another star in the making shines right here. Omer Inayat is a Pakistani singer with one pop album under is belt and now makes a mark in Bollywood. The song is also written by him. He is brilliant !! Love the English lines in the song and the best part is that they don’t sound phony. The vocals are soulful to say the least. Bappa does a great job on the music front too. The tune is catchy and you just can’t stop singing the chorus once you start. This song is on high rotation on all radio stations world over and in the charts. Can’t get enough of it.. Love this song.. 8.5/10.

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Track 3 – Dhun Lagi – This song is a disappointment after Tennu Le. It sounds like a dance bar song from an underworld movie like Shootout at Lokhandwala or Company. Mika Singh and Raja Hassan’s vocals are usual and average. The lyrics are straight forward and the music composition lacks freshness. It has rock elements to it and I like the use of electric guitars in this song. That’s the only innovative part. The beat texture is so overused. Skip it.. 5/10.

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Track 4 – Aisa Lashkara – The full Lahiri family has musicians. Another Lahiri on this track. Bappa’s sister Rema Lahiri features on this song with Hard Kaur. The song is more about Hard Kaur though. Rema’s vocals are below average. The music is a single Latin pop loop that plays throughout the 3 mins of the song. No variation. Hard Kaur is wasted with boring lyrics and brother-sister collaboration is dull. Waste of 3 mins – 5/10.

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Track 5 – Agre Ka Ghagra – Try recreating Billo Rani from Goal & cross it with Mauja hi Mauja from Jab We Met what will you get..??  Yup, a copycat song that is no good. This song lacks the punch and the funk of an innovative beat. The vocals by Javed Ali, Mouli Dave and Raja Hassan are simply average. This song will not do well in the UK Asian market but will be a hit with the taxi and rickshaw drivers in India. 6/10 .

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Track 6 – Dhun Lagi (Progressive Dance Mix) – The mix is better than the original.. atleast for me on this occasion. I can see myself using this track in a Electro Bollywood mix set in the wee hours of morning but the original content still keeps this track from becoming a hit. Good job by DJ Akhil Talreja & DJ N.Y.K.. 6/10 .

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Track 7 – Sufi (Rock) – A simple lead guitar can completely change the perception of a song. The composition work by Bappa has been rejuvenated by the excellent work of his musicians who have done the brilliant guitars, drums, keyboards and bass in this rock version. Love the piano chorus in the second half. You will appreciate this version more than the original in due time. 8/10 .

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Track 8 – Dhun Lagi (Electro Mix) – DJ Akhil features NTeDIT on this mix. I don’t get the point of having so many mixes of the same song on the same album. The mix is a waste!! I can barely see this mix getting any airplay or club play anywhere in the world. Skip skip skip.. 4/10 .

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Track 9 – Sufi – Sufi done again .. with Siam & without Tulsi Kumar this time. It’s exactly the same song otherwise. Just as if when mixing the track 1 the engineer pressed mute on Tulsi’s vocal track.. :/  Silly to have it on the album when you already have 2 great versions. Pointless – 6/10.

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Track 10 – Tennu Le (Remix) – Good production of this remix but it is soooooo wrong.. !! The original is sooo damn good that this sounds difficult to fathom.. That also with a Spanish trumpet !! A big NO to this remix – 5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Average – 6/10 .

Decent effort by Bappa but he has a long way to go.. But we have a couple of new stars to watch out for.. Saim Bhat & Omer Inayat are the ones to watch out for. Tennu Le and Sufi are the big numbers on this album and highly recommended. Apart from these 2 the album is nothing special.

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For a crime thriller Bollywood movie, you would expect dark haunting music…… but not lame music !! Cause that is exactly what this OST is..

The album for this Kay Kay & Arbaaz Khan starer movie is a compilation of 9 songs out of which 6 are instrumentals. These 6 instrumentals are plain background scores that have been used through the movie ranging from 1 – 3 minutes. So nothing exciting there either

Plus the 3 songs that do have some vocals don’t even make it to the average mark !!

Manish Gupta has written some great movies like Sarkar, D, James & Darna Jaroori Hai. Now this is the first time he is directing a full length movie. I would imagine a movie about a psychopathic killer and a cover up police case would barely have any music requirements in the script.. only dark-suspenseful background score. But then why come out with an OST album that wont sell..?? Even when you have decided to make an OST album for an off-beat movie, why not get a known music team on board?

For The Stoneman Murders OST, Manish decides to write the lyrics himself along with Kumaar. He then gives the music department to sidelined duo Siddhartth-Suhas who have done music for films like Dil Dosti Etc., Rama Rama Kya Hai Dramaaa & Bhram… none ever so successful.

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REVIEW

Best not to expect anything at all from this OST..

Track 1 – Qaatilaana – Sunidhi Chauhan renders some amazing songs… and then she does songs like this!! She delivers absolutely boring vocals to this “dance-bar” item number. The lyrics are duff while the music & composition are simply ordinary and basic. If you have heard enough cheesy Bollywood music then you can predict the following music bar and lyrics. Nuff said.. Skip it.. 4/10 .

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Track 2 – Sooni-Sooni Rah Pe – This haunting rock song has very clear visuals. When you listen to it you can visualize what the shots will look like for this music piece with empty streets, dark, night, fast forward shots of Mumbai. Suraj Jagan sings this song pretty well but the lyrics are ordinary yet again that describe the killer for you and thus not interesting. I like the lead guitar in this song. But the 4 minute package still does not do the trick. Average of 6/10 .

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Track 3 – Stoneman – Another rock song with a dirty lead guitar about our killer yet again. I wonder if he is the villain or hero of this movie.. But nonetheless, this is the title track of the album and seems to be the most used in the movie from what you can get of the trailers. Music director Suhas Shetty sings it himself and does manage to give it the dark aura. The song does work very well for the movie but not on its own. 6/10 .

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Track 4 – Midnight at Matunga (Instrumental) – Add a deep bass guitar track to the music of Track 3 & you get Track 4. Although I love the bass guitar at the start of this music piece and the drop in music to a piano & bass guitar around 1:15 into the song. I also like the name. Don’t remember when I last went to Matunga.lol . So I guess I will give it a 6.5/10 .

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Track 5 – The Stoneman Cometh (Instrumental) - The typical horror sequence start with violins & back into Track 3 with a few variables. Siddhartth & Suhas are definitely short of compositional creativity. 5/10 .

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Track 6 – Killer In The Kholi (Instrumental) – Sounds like the sequence for when the killer is about to commit the murders. A bit of dark vocal chanting confirms the plot of religious human sacrifice. Creepy.. 6.5/10 .

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Track 7 – The Chase (Instrumental) – As the name suggests, it is the background music for the chase sequence. Finally something different with a lot of variation and quality from Siddhartth & Suhas. Good use of instruments in an experimental way. Listen to it a few times & it will drown you in the sequence and chain of events. I can easily call it the best piece on this CD considering there isn’t much competition. 7.5/10 .

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Track 8 – The Ritual (Instrumental) - Some really good string orchestration to a march past beat pattern. But just not innovative enough. It sounds so familiar. 7/10 for a fab orchestra at work with soft drums at the end.

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Track 9 – Requiem To The Stoneman (Instrumental) - Think Requiem for a Dream & cross it with Track 3. Voila.. we get a theme music piece for a sad climax. 6/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Below Average – 4.5/10 .

I see no point in putting an OST album together for a soundtrack of background scores. Its not even that they are completely unique scores as they are mostly variations of one another. The instrumental pieces are much better than the songs. The soundtrack does manage to develop the satanical, haunting, dark property through sound thus coming true to it’s purpose in this movie… but lacks creativity. Save your money for some other music album…

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The first insight I got about the music of Delhi-6 was in an interview with lyricist Prasoon Joshi when talking to him about the music of Ghajini. I had asked him what the chemistry is like between him and Mr. Rahman. All he said was, “We are working together on the music of a movie called Delhi-6. Listen to that and you will know”. I think for any music lover that one line wraps up anticipation and expectations !!

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Last time the team of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Prasoon Joshi and A. R. Rahman got together one of India’s most acclaimed and highest grossing movie was made with the name Rang De Basanti (RDB). The music of that movie made an equal impact and touched/inspired millions.

Blessed are these three and Thank you to them for creating Delhi-6 for I have not heard anything like this in an era. Just when you feel Prasoon cant get better with the pen (after Maa & Guzarish) and Rahman has delivered his best ( with Ghajini, Jaane Tu.. ya Jaane Na, Slumdog Millionaire ) , Mr. Mehra steps in and inspires a creative epic in the form of Delhi-6.

The music touches different aspects of Delhi and its life in romance, faith, beauty, fun and classical tradition. Bollywood has a growing obsession with Delhi and especially Chandni Chowk area of old Delhi ( Oye lucky.. lucky oye, Chandni Chowk to China ). For those who dont know, the “6” in the title refers to the pincode of the Chandni Chowk area in Delhi and so the music revolves around the lifestyle of that area.

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REVIEW

Everyone in India knows about the musical brilliance of A R Rahman. People in UK know about that too through his musicals like Lord of the Rings and Bombay Dreams. Now.. the whole world knows about his capabilities with his current rise to fame as being the first Indian to win the Golden Globe for the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman proves with Delhi-6 that he can outdo his own self !!

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Track 1 – Masakali – Truly innovative, harmonic and melodious in all possible ways. Usually songs that come at the start of the year fade out of our memory by the year end when you get to judge the best songs of the year. I am very sure Masakali will not just remain fresh in our minds but will also win that best song title !! The lyrics are truly fun and the work of a genius. You would expect such lyrics from the old guru’s like Javed Akhtar or Gulzar. But young Prasoon Joshi proves that linguistic and poetic abilities have not faded in our generation.

Cant praise Mohit Chauhan’s vocals enough. He makes this song what it is !! Deep and soulful. Rahman does his magic with a superb Bass guitar work with Harmonica, Bongo’s, Ghattam, Accordion and an amazing classical style violin orchestra. The music creates an atmo-fun-sphere around you in which you can visualise the carefree attitude of the characters. You wont find anything missing or expect anything more out of this song – 10/10 .

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Track 2 – Arziyan – I am a big fan of Javed Ali’s singing abilities ( Jashn-e-Bahara, Guzarish, Ek Din teri rahon mein, Nagaada nagaada ). He prove’s it yet again why. This time he has Kailash Kher for company. Rahman goes back on the lines of his typical Islamic Sufi religious songs like Khawaja Mere Khawaja & Piya Haji Ali. This time only better. This 9 minute long song is serene and pious. It will make you believe in the power of simple music and gratitude to God and you won’t come to know where 9 minutes have passed. Tabla, harmonium, and bass are the simple ingredients that make this a perfect combination with Prasoon’s amazing lyrics. Truely soul touching 8.5/10 .

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Track 3 – Dilli-6 – Remember ‘Khalbali Hai Khalbali’ in RDB ? This title track takes you right there. The song is very cool & groovy. A variety of singers including Blaaze, Benny & Tanvi add the extra zing factor to the track. It also has French vocals provided by Viviane and Claire. I don’t remember when was the last time a Bollywood music director decided to add a French touch to they soundtrack. There are certain things only Rahman can do !! Lyrics are plain and ordinary. This song is for it’s youthful cool quotient and not it’s deep lyrical factor. 7.5/10 .

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Track 4 – Rehna Tu – A Rahman OST is never complete without a song in his own voice. Especially if it is a romantic one… This composition could have been used by any International band and delivered a worldwide hit with it. The song is truly Global and unique. It even breaks into an Arabic style chorus in between and Karnatic towards the end. It has Rahman written all over it.. It’s all him.. !!

If you can manage to get your attention off Rahman’s sublime and suttle vocals then listen to the lyrics. I think they are better than those of Guzarish. One can play this song and make anyone fall in love with them.. Romantic at it best – 9/10 .

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Track 5 – Hey Kaala Bandar – I dont get this track and don’t know why it’s there on the OST… Perhaps the only disappointing track on this CD   Lyrics are crooked with crap English rap. Music is stylish but not enough. Plus it has inspired parts from Yuvraaj’s ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ song. Vocals by Karthik, Naresh, Srinivas and Bony are good but don’t stand out. We need to wait and watch how this song is placed in the movie. Might make more sense then.. For now lets ignore it. 5/10 .

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Track 6 – Dil Gira Dafatan – Rahman is known to introduce new singers all the time. But this time he plays a gamble with singer Ash King. He gives him brilliant romantic lyrics but barely any music.. relying all the way on his vocal delivery. Does it work?? It sure does.. It’s Rahman & Prasoon backing Ash after all. His voice has a deep classical and vintage Bollywood texture that I simply love. At the start, the ‘Dil Mera’ chanting itself makes a lasting impression and sets the tone for the rest of the song.

Lyrics are as good as Track 4 Rehna Tu. The orchestration, altough minimal, is the best I have heard in a long time. The violin’s & spanish guitar just take you away on a journey. The composition is simply brilliant. Put this song on repeat – 9/10 .

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Track 7 – Genda Phool – This short track has some of the best classical female voices of the present time. Rekha Bharadwaj, Sujata Majumdar, Shrradha Pandit and V.N Mahathi contribute to this shocking song. Why shocking?? The song opens to Rekha’s folk rustic vocals and then just out of nowhere a brilliant funky beat kicks in leaving you stunned !!! Is there any style or musical trick Rahman can’t execute ?? This time Rajat Dholakia adds to the composition making it a ‘out of the box’ track. Perfect for wedding Mehndi functions. I can’t get enough of this 8.5/10 .

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Track 8 – Bhor Bhaye – A pure classical track has not been heard in any Bollywood OST for years now. Rahman brings the magic back in it’s purest form. I am trained in classical music and I assure you the Thumri Gujri Todi is not easy to deliver.. and nor is what Rahman has managed to deliver here with a perfect transition and mix of the original recording by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and the new breath-taking rendition by Shreya Ghoshal. Kudos to her for making this sound effortless and truly Hindustani classical.

Prasoon Joshi shocks us here with his talent and knowledge of Indian music and poetry. He has written additional lyrics to a decades old classical piece maintaining it’s true flavour. Love the Tabla and Harmonium on this track. I can’t imagine the time Rahman and his team must have spent on cleaning up the original recording for today’s clear digital release. The mix sounds perfect !! This track should be used as a case study in Sound Engineering courses… A masterpiece – 9.5/10 .

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Track 9 – Aarti (Tumre Bhavan Mein) – Sitar, timbals and voice. This combination has been the highlight of religious classical music in India for centuries. Rahman brings back his ‘O Palanhare’ formula from ‘Lagaan’ only this time to traditional lyrics and composition. Rekha Bharadwaj, Sujata Majumdar, Shrradha Pandit & Kishori Ashok Gowariker render this Hindu Aarti in its purest form. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed in these 3 minutes. 8.5/10 .

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Track 10 – Noor – Amitabh Bachchan features to wrap up this album with a monologue poem. It does not have to be music all the time. Some times words say it all. This 50 second piece talks about Love for that one special person who you see everywhere and in everything. 8/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Brilliant – 9/10 .

I recommend tracks 1, 2, 3… Damn.. chuck it.. I RECOMMEND THE FULL ALBUM.. !! Please go buy it.. It’s worth every penny. True to all expectations and a must have in every music lovers collection. The album is a genius musically, lyrically, vocally and even as far as the engineering goes. Big up Rahman, Prasoon Joshi and Omprakash Mehra for brining it all together !!!

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Aamir started it .. Sharukh follows… Remakes of South Indian films is becoming a trend. It was Ghajini first and now we have Billu Barber which is a remake of a Malyalam movie.. only this time we have the big name of Priyadarshan associated with it along with Sharukh Khan’s production house Red Chillies Entertainment. So when it comes to Sharukh’s name being associated with a project especially under his own banner than we know it has to be a commercial bonanza. The album is thus no surprise…

The man of comedies from South Priyadarshan is another commercial and masses man. Thus the obvious choice is to bring Pritam on board. He delivered some of the biggest hits of 2008 with movies like Singh Is Kinng, Kismat Konnection, Race, Jannat and many more. Forget the fact that most of his music is inspired or copied. The bottom line is he deliveres music that is loved by the masses and thus super-hit in all aspects. Hence a wise choice to have him on board in a movie that is packed with item numbers with the hot dusky beauties of Bollywood shaking it up with the King Khan himself.

But the question is… Does Pritam deliver yet again.. ?? Lets hit Play and find out…

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Marjaani – Pritam tries to re-invent an already used formula of Mauja hi Mauja in this song. Exactly same beat pattern and style with Punjabi vocals. It starts with an Arabic feel to it with prominent use of Udu. Very clean vocals by Sunidhi and Sukhwinder Singh. Lyrics do make sense.. it’s Gulzar after all. It has a prominent bass line that keeps up with the beat and thus a great club number. Very Bollywoodishly shot with Kareena and Sharukh and thus a sure shot hit for all parties. As a DJ I am already blasting this track all over UK. but cant compare it to Mauja can we ? It’s fair to give it a 7/10 .

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Track 2 – Love Mera Hit Hit – Neeraj Shridhar and Pritam are a great team. But what on earth is this song all about!!! Pritam just got a little tooo carried away and lost it..  Senseless lyrics, basic beat pattern, reverb’ed vocals, repetitive… but very catchy and good use of flute in it. I like the rap parts. What a relief to know it’s not Gulzar Saab’s lyrics. I would have been dead of shock.

This is one of those songs that if you listen twice, it will stick in your head and you will keep humming the punch line. Then you will abruptly stop and hate yourself for getting hooked on such a stupid number. It’s dumb, but somehow works in a senseless way. Another club hit with an electro bass. [ Hate it when I have to admit something good in a senseless thing :@ ] . 4.5/10 .

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Track 3 – You Get Me Rockin & Reeling – Now we are talking. Neeraj finally gets to do what he is best at. A light romantic number with all the elements to become a big hit eventually once they start promoting it after they are done with Marjani and Hit Hit. This song deserves all the raves for its western with Indian blend. The English parts are refreshing but sound familiar. Pritam finally proves a point on Track 3. A must listen. 8/10 .

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Track 4 – Ae Aa O – This sounds like a song written by Neeraj in his college days for his Bombay Vikings launch but failed to ever make it anywhere with it. Great vocals by K.K as always but the song doesn’t work. It’s neither catchy, nor great lyrically and hangs half way between rock and cool pop. The dirty guitar and KK are probably the only good things in this song. Just another college anthem.. but not cool enough. 6/10 .

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Track 5 – Jaoon Kahan – Sayeed Quadri pens this beautiful sad song and Raahat Fateh Ali Khan comes yet again to Pritam’s rescue. The song is very situational and relatable to the story of a poor barber faced with hardships and dis-ownment of his family and friends. Sad songs are an integral part of most Sharukh movies. This one not one of the best but I like it. 8/10 for the lyrics, vocals and to Pritam for trying something different for a change .

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Track 6 – Billoo Bhayankar – Gulzar comes back with this fun packed song which is my favourite on this album. Very authentic, traditional, rural and true to the flavor of the character played by Irrfan. It suits the movie title and I can imagine it in the climax and at all happy times in the movie. Kudos to Gulzar and the singers Ajay Jhingaran, Kalpana & Raghuveer who clearly outshine all the other regular pro singers on this album !! It reminds you of ‘Khaike Pan Banaras Wala’ from Don.. only peppier and more fun.. Pritam now has new found respect by me for his work on this track. 9.5/10 .

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Track 7 – Khudaya Khair – This is just the desi version of You Get Me Rockin & Reeling. Evidently more Bollywood with the same chorus like. The orchestration is good but nothing new or different. Pritam hasn’t done much here plus the vocals by Soham are ordinary. So much so they dissolve Gulzar’s lyrics. Listen to track 3 rather than this. 6/10 .

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Track 8 – You Get Me Rockin & Reeling (Video Edit) – It’s the same as Track 3. Things they would do to fill up an album and make the soundtrack look bulky. Dominic does the female vocals on this and they are good no doubt. But ignore this track. 6/10 for doing anything different except a female singer.

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Track 9 – Love Mera Hit Hit (House Mix) – DJ Amyth tries to rescue a messed up track with his House beats. He does rave it up no doubt.. but his best bet would have been to remove the vocals and keep the music for a simple House track. 5/10 .

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Track 10 – Marjaani (Kilogram’s Balkan Mix) – I usually like Kilogram’s mixes but not this one. Too much experimentation !! A Bollywood song with Punjabi lyrics to a house beat with a very prominent Arabic feel and a Spanish chorus bridge. Doesn’t work.. It’s Overdone !! Original is much better. 4/10 .

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Track 11 – Khudaya Khair (Reprise) – It’s a pleasure to hear Abhijeet’s voice after a long long time. His voice was used for Sharukh for such a long time but then he went low with so many new singers on the block. He comes back in a more acoustic version of Track 7 and does it so much better. The singing senior proves a point to the freshers. 8/10 .

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Track 12 – You Get Me Rockin & Reeling (Remix) - Oh come on !!! What would it take for Pritam to leave a good track along. DJ Suketu always does a good job & you don’t doubt his talent in this mix.. but why this track..?? The remix does no good to an already great number. 5/10 .

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Track 13 – Ae Aa O (Remix) – I never like DJ Nikhil Chinnappa & DJ Nawed’s remixes. This mix is no different. Plain useless. Waste of 5 mins of listening time. Mr. Nikhil please stick to being a VJ. 4/10 .

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Track 14 – Marjaani (Electro House) – DJ Sunil and Spinz do a much better job than Kilogram. Electro is the most popular dance genre in India at the moment and I can already see this mix being spun on a repeat. It’s a slow soft electro mix with a clean electro bassline and good playing around with the vocals. The Dj’s are not trying hard to impress and thus is pretty good. I recommend this mix. 7/10 .

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Track 15 – Love Mera Hit Hit (Remix) – Although it has Delhi boy NYK & DJ Chetas on it.. I still don’t want to listen to it. Just had enough of this rubbish track. Whatever they try with it.. It’s not going to work. Bass gives u a headache on this track. Not mixed well either. 3/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Overall Average – 6.5/10 .

1, 3, 5, 6, 11 and 14 are my recommended tracks. Rest are as easy as hitting the skip button on the remote. Well Pritam does answer my initial question. He surely has still got it.. but it is wearing out !! He has become inconsistent and is going all over the place in some songs but then comes back in a few. Probably, that could also be because of the Sharukh & Priyadarshan influence. You decide..

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