It seems as if Indian Idol 2 started just some weeks back but we already have the galas on in full steam. The contest has narrowed down to the top 8 finalists, 6 boys and 2 girls. Their debut compilation album has already hit the stands. I am fond of these musical reality shows, so I decided to check the score out.
The album begins with the group song- ’’Woh pehli Baar’’. It is the Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi number with a variation in lyrics and music. Everyone sounds good, the tune is catchy but I somehow feel that the Idol-1 ’’Pal’’ was a better offering. For one Pal had some better music, a more nostalgic feel and also a better video. Still..Woh pehli baar makes for a nice hearing. Then we begin with the individual songs:
Kawa Kawa: Sung by NC Karunya, this Punjabi number is well rendered. He sounds a little shrill at places but has a lot of clarity in his vocals. Also a very fresh voice, after listening to this you may feel like repeating the track. Quite a laudable attempt.
Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho: By Amey Date- undoubtedly the best track in the whole album. He is by far the most deserving contestant this year. Listen to the track with closed eyes, you will feel you are flying. He has magic in his voice and an intrinsic feel good factor. I loved the original number too but Amey does full justice to the difficult song. He is also a wonder at the intonations. The gentleness and the vigour both come out so well in the song, a must hear! :)
Yaar Bina Chain Kaha Re: The sweet and now eliminated from Idol, Bengali girl Monali Thakur croons this speedy and catchy song. Her biggest asset is that she has a ’’sweet’’ voice, the type you associate with our actresses today. That makes her playback material as Anu promised her anyway. The song in itself is sung well, but you can make out some offbeat points. The young-ness and energy radiate above all.
Ae Dil E Nadaan: Yashashree Bhave, the first girl to be voted out, has this song to her credit in the album. Frankly, I didnt have much hope from this song before it started playing. This was because I had heard Yashashree in the gala and I didnt like her at all. But she definitely went beyond my minimal expectations here. She sounds really gentle and soft in this smooth number. This is a philosophical number about life and it gives you a lot of mental peace. I would call this quite an appreciable effort.
Do Dil Mil Rahe Hai: Sagar Sawarkar, the cute ’’chote baba’’ who left in the very first gala, reinforces the fact that he is a good singer. This Pardes’ track is quite lovable in itself but Sagar’s vocals accentuate it well. I thought he pronounces his ’’r’’ a little differently..but his voice is very distinct. Innocence and warmth are the hallmark of this track. I quite liked this version.
Lambi Judai: This is rendered by Meenal Jain- who I consider the best female singer the contest has. Though she is often told to put in more feeling to her music, here she sure does try her best. Her voice has a sound preparation and this tough track is no problem to deliver for Meenal. I am not very happy with the background score variation they did here. The originals were far better. But if the purpose is to highlight the singer as it is here, I am happy.
Tu Rutha To: The small village gal Antara Mitra sure does seem to be focussing on her ’’makeover’’ only. I found this song a dud. She sounds fair but why did she choose this track in the first place? Unimpressive lyrics and very limited scope. It seemed as if she was putting a lot of stress to sound sweet. I dont rate this as one of the best certainly.
Jaanu Meri Jaan: Its the cool hero’s turn-Panna Gill, the Saif lookalike dude girls have a crush on. Um hum, I too had thought he didnt deserve to be in after his not all that great piano performance, but he has silenced me. He sounds good here though he could do with some corrections. Presenation is definitely his strong point and that makes him a more ’’visual’’ singer. But somehow I liked the catchy and energetic way he sang this.
Har Kisiko Nahi Milta: Ravi Tripathi- this season’s Ravindar Ravi, croons ’’har kisiko..’’. Whew.. time for another dud. He lacks feeling, energy and consistency. He sounds fair at certain places and so mediocre at others. After some quite cool tracks in the album, I found this really bad. He sings some sargam here and there, even that didnt really touch me.
Zubi Zubi: The Delhi gal and singer Sonu Kakkar’s sister- Neha Kakkar is no longer a part of the show. This song is a fast number but pretty ordinary. There’s not much scope to exhibit singing skills here. She has a very different voice -the kind best suited for songs of this genre. Its an entertaining number even though it doesnt really grow on you. And yup the English vocals thrown in are unnecessary. :|
Yeh Ladka Hai Allah: This is by Jolly Das, the girl who got chicken pox and had to withdraw from the competition. Firstly, here again the dash of English sounds so uncool. I like this song (original) and this ’’remix’’ sounds like torture. Jolly has a thin voice and doesn’t sound great. They could have put in a better finale really. Average I would say, at best.
In all, Indian Idol 2 is a ’’mix’’ in the real sense- some are very good, some not so good and some bad. Amey solely is one huge reason to get it. And some of the others really did well. If you are in the mood for some fresh voices, go get it!