Disc check

Vishal-Shekhar come up with their best score this side of Tashan 2008.

The right notes Kahaani

Vishal-Shekhar come up with their best score this side of Tashan 2008. And we are not talking of the Tagore song Ekla cholo re rendered by Amitabh Bachchan with so much feeling you think he was born to sing it! The composition that V-S have recorded is the original but it has been addorned with some Hindi lines sung by Bachchan himself and English passages by Clinton Cerejo.

From the original compositions, the standout one is the supremely moving title-track,and for a change KK outclasses the always immaculate Shreya Ghoshal in her version,once again spotlighting him as the finest male singing talent from the post-Sonu generation. Vishal once again shows his expertise at lyrics writing too.

Of the two classical numbers,the catchier one is Piya tu kaahe rootha re Javed Bashir,though Tore bina Sukhwinder Singh sounds better of the two while it is on,but lacks a catchy classical hook. Aamhi shotti bolchi Usha Uthup with Vishwesh Krishnamurthi,the opening track,is a delightful ditty.

So why does the album stop short of turning out to be Vishal-Shekhars weightiest work an honour still retained by Om Shanti Om? Simply because as part of the endemic desire for fusion,they do not dare to keep the two raag-based numbers devoid of those rock-heavy sounds. These beauties would have been only enhanced if they had been left unsullied by trendy and raucous mixing and beats. A minimalist treatment as in Mora piya mose bolat naahi could have,alternatively,also done the trick.

More grammar than composition

Blood Money

Having acquired a distinct musical grammar from the combination of Anu Malik Saaya,Zeher and Pritam Gangster,Who Lamhe eons back,the Bhatts have continued with their trademark music style even when they work with other established Lalit Pandit or younger composers from both sides of the border.

But that Pritams ex-partner Jeet Ganguli now a big name in Bengali cinema is made to toe the line is a tad unacceptable this talented composer should have been allowed free reign. Sayeed Quadri,who could be a role-model for todays generation of wordsmiths,writes verse that seems fatigued with odd mukhdas like Gunaah kiya maine. Singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Mustafa Zahid from across the border are made to sing like KK, who has been a vital segment of the Vishesh brand of song.The sum total is that the songs are functional and may serve their purpose in the film,but lack the intrinsic merits to stand alone 8211; or endure.