A.R.Rehman and Mani Ratnam - the combination that striked gold with masterpiece albums like Roja, Bombay and Dil Se apart from Indira, Iruvar and Alai Payuthey down south.
A.R.Rehman and Mehboob - the combination that matched a perfect wavelength in albums like Bombay, Rangeela, Doli Saja Ke Rakhna and Lakeer.
What do you anticipate when they all get together? High expectations!
And yes, the album of Yuva does lives up to the hype. Moreover the music goes very much with the title of the film and has a very youthful touch.
Rehman can make his singers go totally bold and non-apprehensive in their rendition style giving them the liberty to experiment with their infinite hidden range. And then his unique touch lends an indomitable grace to the track which otherwise would appear as insane crooning in India. This is proved in the opening track of Yuva, which also happens to be the title track of the film. The track apparently would be a background theme piece in the movie highlighting youth distress and uprising. The best part of the track is its catch-line "Dhakka Laga Bukka" rendered in a grotesque fashion by the singer-lyricist-musician threesome of Karthik-Mehboob-Rehman. Composed in the groove of jungle beats the lyrics of the song are hardly perceivable (both from the rendition and the cumbersomely designed album leaflet). But then who is complaining! The tune is intriguing enough to set you in mood from the very start.
The non-apprehensive rendition continues with the ethnic opening vocals by Shaheen Badar in the instrumental theme piece "Dol Dol", where Rehman takes you to the world of trance. The unconventional rap by Blaze is much better in comparison to what he did for 'Chori Pe Chori' from Saathiya. And though the track lacks variation throughout it's run it's still infectious and addictive. Check out the sound clip of this one for yourself at the official website of the film.
After working with unconventional singers like Adnan Sami, Daler Mehendi and Kunal Ganjawala, this time Rehman ropes in the husky-voiced Lucky Ali for "Khuda Hafiz". The track opens with the vibrating vocals of Sunitha Sarathy and eventually Lucky Ali and Karthik take over with the exhilarating tempo of beats. This is the same track that is played in the Vivek Oberoi - Kareena Kapoor trailer with the Anjaane interlude. Overall a very interesting composition!
Mehboob's lyrical expertise comes forth with "Kabhi Neem Neem" expertly rendered by Madhushree who sounds so much like Alka Yagnik. Madhushree's saccharine-coated vocals instantly remind of her previous number 'Naina Milaike' from Saathiya. Rehman uses a folksy ballad throughout the background of this track imparting it a primitive touch. His alaap in the mid-way is simply mesmerizing.
Rehman regular Asha Bhonsale is conspicuous by her very absence in the album. However Alka Yagnik and the somniferous Adnan Sami attempt to fill up the vacuum in the resplendent duet "Badal". Rehman's synthesizer makes all the difference in this track.
The album concludes with an exemplary disco track "Fanaa" by Rehman, Sunitha Sarathy and Tanvi. Rehman very expertly keeps all the sophisticated tracks of the album for himself, perhaps to add the perfect essence. It's simply enchanting when Rehman throws off the word Fanaa (meaning completely destroyed in Urdu) and allows it to fade off with the temperament of the track. His sa-ni-dha-pa alaap over here is evidently derived from the classical alaap of the number 'Kehna Hi Kya' from Bombay. This one is a sure winner!
After a blunt 2003, Rehman has surely striked back to the top slot in early 2004 with Lakeer, Meenaxi and now Yuva. Yuva is surely a classy album, which would go very well with the elite though it may not have a consistent appeal with the masses. Music of Yuva does take some time to get on you, but eventually becomes pretty likeable.
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| Reviewed By: Aish |
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