SON(G)S OF THE SOIL. Review on Swades Songs

''SWADES''??????SON(G)S OF THE SOIL

Cutting it rightaway, ''Swades'' , in toto is a branded fare. Be it Sharukh the current one man industry, or Ashutosh Gowarikar highly excited and banking heavily on his sole silverlining ''Lagaan'', or Javed Akhtar whose lyrics to any track sound like pearls or the first drizzle and ultimately A.R Rehman whose fanfollowing ranges from six to sixty.

The music is like '' Lagaan'' revisited. To Rehman's disfavour , the ball is not exactly in his court. This time he changes his gears to produce something which is earthy and realistic but may not find many takers. This reasoning gains further momentum as he has disappointed his fans in his last half a dozen products.

At the outset, ''Swades' is not even the saving grace of 'Lagaan''. Wheras the later is rich and mellifluous and retained the Indian flavour , here he composes the tracks which are drenched with the Indian colour but heavily discounting melody.

Javed Akhtar repeats his forte, and lavishly rises above the compositions. Be it ''Who Tara'' where he speaks of unity , strength and sends the message that an individual itself is inconsequential for the upliftmaent of society, community.

State or the country. For once Rehman tries his hand at a lullaby. It?s a sheer beauty to listen to. 'Ahista ? ' is soothing and sung with right notes by Udit and Sadhna Sargam. The lyrics genuinely enters the domains of a childs mind.

''Yeh Jo Des' sung by the master composer himself is real strength of the album.

With a shehnai backdrop , this ia a treat for the ears. It reminds us our bond with the country , our obligations and so on. Further, the shehnai instrumental of the same catches instant attention. Highly recommended. ''To Hi Chala'' has the shades of what rehaman is known for. Foot tapping and punchy, it has all the ingredients to make it to the top. Kailash Kher is miles above his counterparts in this track. Why it is slotted at the end of the disc is surprising.

On the whole, the composer underplays throughout the album. You get to hear sitar, shehanai, santoor, sarod , jaltarang and flute sounding very ''Bhartiya'. It is soft and supremely crafted but in parts only. It lacks the killer instinct and somehow fails to raise the eyebrows.