Sound Byte

But Nassa Nassa, with dhol explosions (characteristic of Anand Raaj Anand), defies logic like most Bollywood and Bond movies. Swiping some music and lyrics off the ’80s hit Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor and glueing it to Ankhiyan Teriya Ve, sung by Kailash Kher, doesn’t make sense either. At best, it’s a hilarious attempt at remixing.

Like most other albums, there are three bonus value-for-money mixes. For your sakes, skip the Jungle Mix.

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose—The
Forgotten Hero

THIS one’s a fantastic experiment.

It’s nice to hear artistes put aside their signature style to break new ground. AR Rahman’s done just that with the soundtrack of this Shyam Benegal film.

The surprisingly mellow Aazadi opens with a Jai Hind chorus by the Western Choir, Chennai, sans the frills and bursts that you associate with a Rahman-’posed patriotic number.

He could have pumped up the marching song Kadam Kadam (an INA favourite), but hasn’t touched it, except for a rising and waning trumpet. Its percussion section, following the style of European harmonies, is more for keeping time than melody.

You won’t spot Rahman in the supine Ghoomparani rendered by Sapna Mukherjee either, since it’s rooted in Bengali folk with languorous flutes suddenly slipping in and out.

Lyricist Javed Akhtar has outdone

himself on Zikr, rendered by Rahman—the Vedic chanting-like singing of Allah’s praises is the clincher.

The rest of the album consists of mostly instrumental themes, with the string section for all tracks performed by the Czechoslovakian film orchestra. The highlight is the orchestral version of the national anthem—where Rahman’s added a crescendo spurt, just before the Tava Shubhe Naame stanza.

Love Angel Music Baby, Gwen Stefani Universal
No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani has finally done it—a smooth cat of a solo album. She’s tried everything in this one—the album alternates between great retro pop and club. A typical example is the Funky Townesque What Are You Waiting For and the fluid Luxurious, for the lounge.

And what a line-up! Rich Girl with racy lyrics, produced by hot shot producer Dr Dre, is colourfully layered and The Neptunes’ Hollaback Girl, which has a gritty, street sound are predictable hits.

Then there’s Harajuku Girls, a Madonna flashback, except for the jarring mewing sounds. This one has all the makings of a Grammy contender.

Noora Beat of India
Next time you’re at a record store, seek out the folk section for Swarn Noora—Punjab’s latest offering.

The minstrel retells some of the greatest love stories of the region—Heer-Ranjha and Sohni-Mahiwal—but the pain is sweeter. Hers isn’t a heard-before guttural voice, and it doesn’t contain the rawness associated with most folk singers. Noora, who trained under her mother, the late Bibi Noora, a Punjabi sufi singer and late husband Sohan Lal, sings in a rich, low timbre. Mere Ranjha Palle Vich Pa De and Jee Ve Soneya Jee are two of the best picks from the eight-track album.