Anticipation & expectation are sometimes very frustrating. What is going to happen? Will it be good? But when it comes to A.R.Rahman a sense of quality steps in. He hardly gives a bad album. More so, when the film is directed by Oscar nominated director Ashutosh Gowarikar. Rahman carries the burden of Lagaan on his back & that precisely is the anticipation and expectation. Will this be as good as ’’Lagaan’’? The questions are answered and how. Rahman gives a spellbinder in Swades and each song speaks for itself. If Rahman music is the crown, Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are its studs. It also makes me think that Javed Akhtar is probably the best Lyric writer the country has ever produced. Simple, clean, clear & unadulterated; that?s how one can describe Javed Akhtar’s https://lyrics. Swades is whiff of fresh air & it?s so good to hear melodies again from the master. 1)YEH TARA WOH TARA If there is going to be any song for inspiration and integration, this is the one. The lyrics comprehend the music and the singers uplift it to an another level. .... Boondh boondh Milne se, bantha ek dariya hai; Boondh boondh sagar hai, warna ye sagar kya hai... These lines just moved me. 2) AAHISTHA AAHISTA This is vintage Rahman. A slow number without any beats. This song relies heavily on its tune & lyrical value. This song is wonderfully conceived and expertly rendered by Udit and sadhana. The chords are used sparingly and expertly. They never come when Udit sings and enter when Sadhana sings. Innovative music, that?s all I can say. Rahman makes this his. 3) YEH JO DESH HAI TERA It?s difficult to write a patriotic song without getting overtly emotional, but somehow Javed Akhtar manages it big time. Anyways it was interesting listening to this song. Was the lyrics first written or the song first composed? For me it looks like the former and if it?s true Rahman should be a real genius. You can?t point out an error in this song. This song is a flawless composition, which stirs your soul with its immaculate https://lyrics. Rahman sings it with a lot of heart and soul. The most touching lines were ... Yeh pal hai wohi, jisme hai chupi: Poori ik sadi, saari zindagi... 4) DEKHO NA Ok folks. This is song taken from Tamil film’’Baba’’ composed by Rahman himself. Think this was needless even though the tune is excellent. This was the best song in ’’Baba’’ & guess Rahman wanted to revive this tune for the Hindi audiences. The BGM’s have been changed & that sounds good. These songs are a walk in the park for Alka and Udit.Lyrics are as usual fantastic. 5) YEH JO DESH-INSTRUMENTAL A fantastic instrumental to a fantastic song. The use of shehnai is different. 6) SAANWARIYA This is a song, which gets on you slowly. But after it does its hard to get off. What a melody and what https://lyrics. Alka is at her vibrant best. This is a complicated tune and music lovers will love it. 7) YUN HI CHALA How will Hindustani classical sound with Blues with a mixture of Hindi film music? Mix all three and you get this song and it speaks volumes of its composer and the singers. Hariharan is the pick of the singers in this song. His alaaps are fabulous. Kailash kher is a revelation and Udit as usual is dependable. This is a song with hip-hop beats, lots of strings, harps & an Indian flavour to it. ROCKING SONG. 8) PAL PAL HAI BHARI Once in a while there comes a song that has absolutely no match in terms of tune, content, rendering. This is one of them. I have a heard a lot of Ram leela and bhakthi songs right from Naushad to R.D.Burman but nothing comes even close to this extraordinary song. Madhushree, the female singer is the future of Indian music. Her voice stands true to her name. The lyrics are mind boggling & the composition beyond outstanding. 9) PAL PAL HAI BHARI-INSTRUMENTAL An excellent followup to a great song. The flute portions (played by Naveen) are fabulous. SWADES is one of Rahman’s very best. It can?t get better than this. Grab your copies folks.