Jan 24, 2009 05:43 PM
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InDelhi-6 soundtrack, Rahman shows us the beauty of simple melodies, elegance ofeclectic orchestration, gives us hookiest of the hooks to help us understandhis experiments, takes us to a newer musical zones and much much more.
Thebeginning of'Arziyan' was surprising with simple Tabla beats and naturalharmonium pieces, because Rahman has the tendency to make such songs with thicklayers of orchestration stuffed with synth bass, strings, sometimes e-sounds, and even the Tabla would sound a little harder and heavy in such songs. But Ialways wanted such a simple tune just simply presented without Rahman's usualornamentation, and in this song, for those initial 2 minutes, the serene melodyon contrasting vocals of Javed Ali and Kailash Kher was intoxicating to listen.Rahman soon returns to his usual elements of adding layers but thankfully itdoesn't burden the simplistic beauty of the melody as it normally would, andthe lighter feel and touch of divinity prevails till the end. A song lastingfor almost 9 minutes without much of variations in tempo or deviations in itsstructure, could easily get tedious after a point but Rahman cleverly makes itmore accessible by bringing in the'Maula' hook at regular and right intervals.It is one of those hooks that I can listen to on and on non-stop for a wholeday.
Theopening alaap which later turns out to be the main motif of the song, therhythm on Congo drums(the percussion instrument that became the most clichédsound in Indian film songs long back, sounds so fresh and strangely befittingin the context of this song) and beautiful accordion solo pieces sprinkledthroughout(performed by Rahman himself) in'Masakkali' takes us on aliberating journey into the old world. The intentional casualness, the dynamicsand attitude in the singing of Mohit Chauhan, adds charm to the melody. Thehighpoint of the song of course is'Udiyon na' that appears twice in the songwhere the additional folksy percussion layer, the singing and Prasoon's musicalword play make the listeners jump with joy. There is no single instrument orsound which is not used or heard before, but by the way he puts them all intoone homogenous layer backing the beautiful melody, Rahman once again reminds uswhat the term'Rahman sound' actually means.
'Delhi hai mere yaar' iscatchy from the word go and yet it is an unconventional anthem for Delhi. It is unconventionalin its pace for a song that wants to be an anthem. But the love for the placehas been cleverly conveyed with one funky and hooky phrase after another. Thereis Tanvi's'Delhi hai mere yaar' which is the main motif(why Rahman alwaysputs Tanvi's voice in some sound machine), there is bass heavy Blaaze's hook, there is a French hook(which instantly reminds us of the song Jhoom le fromGhajini) and all these come one after the other in different order and finallyTanvi's bit turn victorious taking the pride of slightly getting modified andsounding heroic with trombones and timpani backing it.
Nothingprepares you in a song that starts so light with soft beats, for the shocker ofa sound that is about to start in the most unexpected beat of the rhythm. I amtalking about the way Rahman starts'Rehna Tu' on the softest registers of hisvoice, which sucks your attention instantly into the song. After a very strongbeginning with a very identifiable and hummable melody the song slips into avery innate melodic zone which sounds as if Rahman just sang the song instantlyafter seeing the lyrics, with whatever melody that came to his mind. And beingquite aware of the fact that these lines may put off the casual listeners, aguitar motif is brought in, and that fills for any possible gaps that fall inbetween the unpredictable journey of the melody. Even if a listener initiallytravels into the song holding on to this motif, he/she will soon recover and beable to travel through the main melody without its help. In spite of being soexperimental, it is this concern that Rahman has on his listeners that makeshim a composer that he is today.
Rahmansays'Come with me, I will take you to a place where you haven't been before'with the song'Dil Gira Daftan'. The contrasting pace of the gorgeous mainmelody and the addictive guitar motif that loops(it was repeatedly playing inmy mind for one whole day) throughout the song, the eclectic interlude(Celtic, Irish folk, Chinese, western classical and Indian strings put together tocreate an alternate musical universe around you) and the softness in the AshKing's voice all takes us on a exhilarating romantic ride. And Chinmayi'scounterpoint is another pinch of beauty and brilliance. As in'Rehna Tu', heretoo the melody sounds very innate and spontaneously developed but developmentand movements between phrases sounds more organic and measured.
'HeyKala Kala' is the funkiest song of the soundtrack with lots of catchy hookssprinkled at right spots throughout the song. While Karthik and Naresh Iyerenthusiastically croon for most part of the song, it is Srinivas and BonyChakrabarthy who leave their impression with their breathless singing towardsthe end of the song. In'Noor' Rahmanprovides an apt celestial aura around Prasoon Joshi's poetry. I don't know howmuch of A.R.Rahman is there in other songs but they add variety to thesoundtrack and raise our expectations on the movie. With'Bhor Bhyae', ShreyaGhosal proves once again why she is a legend in the making.'Ghendha Phool' isextremely charming folk song that gets a techno twist. The devotional'Aarti'to Delhi-6 is what'Ik Onkaar' was to Rang De Basanti.
Atthe end, Rahman makes us exclaim - What a beginning!
