It is with loads of caution that I see a new bollywood (or kollywood) music album release on musicindia online. Album after album, song after song is coming out with questionable credentials. I wonder, why do composers churn out songs if it doesn’t hit you right in the heart? In my view, a song should stay in your mind, your heart and wander like a musical vagabond with you. Otherwise, music is not divine, it is just an excuse like the thousands we give everyday. It is not like brushing your teeth, but it is like watching/hearing the fall of fresh rain, or the mild wind…Huh….I can go on and on…
With the pessimism of a brash adult, I clicked on the collection of songs of this album, and I was definitely unprepared, and pleasantness turned to thrill, due to many things. First, I hadn’t heard the name of the MD Sujeet Shetty before. As soon as I heard the first few lines of the stellar Bhoopaali number “Bas Yehi” I could find that this MD has composed the tune FOR the lyrics and not the other way around, as is done in 99.9% of the cases these days. Second, I was struck by the vocal nature of the songs, rather than the pianish or harmonium based tunes, again common these days. Then number after number flew past with rich orchestration, even reminding me of Ilayaraaja at one point. Hence, I did some research on the web on SS. I was even more impressed. A graduate in civil engineering SS believes in using our music, & blending it with western. He only believes in composing a tune for the written lyrics (a quality that you should be able to discern as soon as you hear the song Palkon Mein). Ok, lets look at the songs….
Because of lack of space and time, I have only reviewed few of my favorites.
Bas Yehi Sochke (Raag: Bhoopaali/Mohanam)
Abhijeet
The song starts with the sound of clicks. The rhythm is simple & Abhijeet’s rendering is simply out of this world. Even when the notes travel from low (Pa Dha Sa Re…) to the same notes in the higher octave you can hardly see his voice shake. The song is almost like reciting a poem, with not much theatrics, just the pure flow of https://lyrics. Listen for the astounding rendering of the last line of each paragraph. The best examples are the lines: “Apne aankhon ke sitaaron se…” & then towards the end “Tum hamesha ke liye dard banaa do mujko” (hear this part when Abhijeet hits it out of the park with a slight adjustment in his last sangathi). Did I forget about the fact that in between there is a pure, simple flute solo supported by a solo violin? Or the rich string support?
Khwabon Mein (Raag: Yaman/Kalyaani)
Hariharan & Sonu (2 versions)
The song starts in a very innovative way, using the “Sa Pa Sa” sung harmonically. Listen to the use of a female western opera style vocal sound (Aria) and the mild use of the synth appreggio. This guy (SS) sure does know what he is doing. Of course both Hariharan & Sonu excel in their own ways. Personally, I liked the Hariharan version slightly better because of my liking for his voice. Listen carefully for the brilliant use of synth sounds and rich strings orchestra. I found the charanam a bit clumsy, but recovers towards the end. The liberal use of veena/guitar is appropriate and never overpowering. The second interlude features western sax followed by veena.
Pal Pal Palkon
Singer: Sonu
Another soft, smooth romantic number with innovative rhythm sounds. The start of the song has santoor and strings played complimentarily. This is one common thing that you see in all of SS’s songs (ie rich string support, rare these days). The 1st interlude has sax & acoustic guitar, then a cool santoor piece. As soon as you hear the charanam, you’ll notice that the words were written before the tune, with a bit of clumsiness which is quite understandable. A female humming signature has been used well in different parts of the song. The second interlude again features heavy string use & santoor. Sonu has sung the song in his characteristic style, with varying stress on different words, emoting when necessary.
Hum Hai (Raag: Jog/Naatta)
Udit & Alka
It’s been a while since I heard a number composed in the beautiful raag Jog, the hindusthani equivalent of the carnatic raag Naatta. For those interested in a similar composition, listen to the Malayalam number “Pramadavanam” from the movie “His Highness Abdullah”. The use of flute and sitar is perfectly matching to the unique feature of the raagam. It uses the the note “Ga” or Re* in a peculiar way, giving the typical feel, especially during the ascent. Just amazing is one word for SS. You might find the song a bit too classical, and maybe I liked it because of my bias toward such numbers. Again look for the use of wonderful string orchestra.
Teri Nooraani (Raag: Mayamalwagowla)
Singer: Sonu
This number will drive home the fact that SS knows his orchestration well. With symphonic string support taking us through the sadness ridden song, Sonu sings this song flawlessly. Sonu seems to get such kind of sad, frustration-type songs a lot. I would have liked to hear this in Abhijeet’s voice, for a change! The rhythm is simple but gels perfectly with the song. A lot of folk percussion instruments enrich the first interlude. I could identify pakhavaj, dholak and one more sound which I couldn’t identify. Slight adjustments in the percussion can be heard during the charanams. Overall a wonderful composition.
The album is by no means a perfect feat to the likes of ARR or Naushad, but Sujeet will get better as he composes more. One thing is sure, it is really a thrill to hear pure Indian classical music and traditional instruments get together for a unique feat. Sujeet, like any other youngster, in spite of being bombarded with western music, has the guts to compose in the old, traditional style. I applaud him for his efforts and wishes him all success in the future!!!