So what?. Review on Swades Songs

Swades is finally here. Everyone is happy now! Once again, music lovers are expecting more from each album from A.R Rahman. Can we expect more from Rahman every time? Rahman is no more the Rahman of the 90s. He is changing with time because the audience is changing and each movie has a different storyline.

Obsessed fans want the same every time. This cannot be done. Rahman has worked in India and has worked with International Artists as well. He knows what to deliver but does it do it every time? He is lucky to work with the best directors and he has to give his best. With Shah Rukh Khan in the lead and Ashutosh Gowarikar in the director?s seat, Rahman knows that he needs to do better than a Taal or a Lagaan. Does he do it? Read on.

The album contains 7 songs and 2 Instrumentals. Lyrics are by Javed Akthar.

Yunhi Chala Chal ? Semi Classical Meets Funky Style

Udit Narayan, Hariharan & Kailash Kher

ARR attempts a different style here which many will not pay particular attention to. This is because the song starts with a funky tune accompanied by some nice guitar touches and synthesizers. However, Kailash Kher is used in this song as a semi-classical singer and gives the song a mix of semi-classical and funky doses. ARR used the singers? voices to display something. Udit is used to portray happiness as he sings the funky lines. Hariharan does his usual job. Kailash is used in expressing emotions.

There is an excellent use of the latter?s singing skills where he sings in a high pitch for a couple of seconds. Udit renders this one with such joyfulness. Besides the nice singing, the song ends in a beautiful way with the appropriate use of instruments like the harmonica, the violins and a nice chorus. Truly a great effort.

Yeh Tara Woh Tara ? Simplicity

Udit Narayan, Master Vignesh and Others

Rahman uses a very simple tune for this song. Nothing really great to write about except the orchestration. It has a typical Rahmanish touch from the time the songs starts. The song becomes more interesting when the kids starting singing the last half of the song. The beats and the usual synthesizers deliver the same sound which all fans like. Even the song is not that great in terms of composition, it can be a winner in terms of its choreography. We?ll wait and see.

Dekho Na - Western Touch

Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan

I wonder if this song was produced for this album or was it for another album? Rahman Saab, you are composing for Swades here(!?). Definitely, a song which makes it to such an album make the album loses its appeal. However, after much thoughts how can they include such a song, I came to a conclusion. This song has a Western orchestration and has been composed with a Western approach.

The way the instruments has been played and the way the singers sing as well are completely different, making it sounding more like a ballad for an American movie.They have used this song to target the international audience because the composition has been westernized. It is not the typical Bollywood song.

Pal Pal Hai Bhari ? Bhajan Mixed with Technology

Madhushree, Vijay Prakash, Ashutosh Gowarikar

It?s nice to see Bhajans making a come-back. This Bhajan is not an ordinary one though it may sound simple. There was a lot of work behind that song. Rahman forte lies in putting lyrics to songs (Faana in Yuva) and here he shows his creative abilities. The way the singers render the bhajan is nice. The bhajan flows very well with the music. Changes in the pace of the song makes the Bhajan different. Expect high and low pitch singing in a space of 60 seconds! The best part of the song is the digital orchestration. Who would use technology with a bhajan? Rahman did it. The instruments blend beautifully with the singing. The melody changes in the middle with some great singing. The climax of the song is ?the? thing here. Rahman kept the concept of the Bhajan but added his personal touch by making it more lively and listenable in terms of his use of technology.

Aahista Aahista- Musical Inspiration Only

Udit Narayan, Sadhna Sargam

After so many songs of this title in Bollywood, we are given the same title again. This one may be special for many because it is composed by ARR. However, ARR created a line between melody and orchestration here. The melody is not as strong as the orchestration. The orchestration of this song is one of the best I have heard from him. The song is peaceful and tranquil. It will be best appreciated if sitting at the sunsets or near a river. The singers do a good job here but they cannot save the song.

It is a long song with a range of instruments used. Rahman shows that even he uses so many instruments in a song, he is not creating a cacophony. The inspiration of this song does not lie in the melody but in the orchestration and background score. Even the melody is somewhat missing, he succeeded in composing a deep song. It finally delivers a mix result.

Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera - Patriotic Song but no 'Dil Se'

A R Rahman

Unlike his attempts in Dil Se, this one is a rather slow song with a nice chorus and wonderful singing by Rahman himself. Listen well to the chorus and see why this song is so pleasing! A patriotic song sung flawlessly. The strings and the simple instruments used, make this song enjoyable. Many of us might expect this song to change pace but it carries the same pace till the end.

Sanwariya- Light Song

Alka Yagnik

Himesh Reshammiya ?Sanwariya? (Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye) was a craze but now it?s the turn of ARR to prove what he can do with this word. Once again, a simple song. The orchestration is predictable. Alka has sung a lot of these kind of songs. A song with no great composition and variety does not deserve more writing.

The album is somewhat good. When expectations are high, you want more. However, Rahman shows that he still can deliver. But there are a few questions which remain unanswered. Rahman tends to give too much importance to the orchestration than the melody. The melody is lacking in some songs. The beats and synthesizers used have not changed. Some of the songs seem to follow the same orchestration and pattern of songs in movies like Lagaan, Thakshak and Nayak.

However, Rahman changes style with the bhajan and the funky style song ?Yunhi Chala Chal?. Overall, his command over the instruments is excellent but with average to above-average songs, the album will need more publicity. There are a lot of marketing strategies behind this album.

Since the movie has been shot abroad, they are targeting an international audience with this soundtrack. It seems that Rahman was given instructions to make the album a bit more western and this is why there is this Western flavour in some songs.