sknath wrote:
The return of Naushad... nothing else ! Sheer gold !
Just for you SK 
Hariharan kick starts the proceedings in this album with a solo number titled Apni Zulffein Mere. The song starts with some melodious music on the violins, almost like a Bach or a Beethoven symphony, which runs for quite some time before Hariharan, in his sonorous, rich voice breaks into the song. The accompaniments are kept simple throughout, in keeping with the period of the film. The song is more a semi-classical ghazal, poetry of love, with good use of Urdu words and phrases. A chorus hums classical notes in the background.
Kavitha Krishnamurthi and Hariharan sing Ajnabi Tehero Zara. A slow number, Kavitha employs her high-pitched vocals effectively. Accompaniments are on the violin, tabla, flute and a classical chorus. ''Mein Ne Kudrat Se jo Manga Tha, Wohi Jalwa Ho Tum, Zindagi Me Ho Tumhari Har Meri Duniya Ho Tum'' are some of the lyrics, in this beautiful love duet.
Mumtaz Thuje Dekha Jab Taj Mahal Dekha, the next song in the album, is in the voices of Hariharan and Preethi Uttam. A very classical number, reminiscent of oldies like 'Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya' and 'Ek Shehenshah Ne Banvaye Haseen Taj Mahal', this is a slower number, and is perhaps picturised on the aging Shah Jehan, as he watches over the Taj, in his incarcerated state, and remembers the past. The song is very moving and touches your heart, and full credit to Hariharan for doing full justice to this song, as he effortlessly moves along the scale. Needless to say, his Urdu diction is impeccable. Preethi Uttam has very few lines, more in the background. ''Ek Noor Ki Baarish Mein, Bhiga Hua Pal Dekha''. Such wonderful lyrics! This is one of the longest songs in the albums.
Tareef E Meena Bazar is a couplet, which is not credited to anyone. The Urdu Sher o Shayari is very authentic, dating back to an era of Emperors, an ear of much finery, ada, nazakat, tehzeeb and tameez. The slow accompanying music on the sarangi, violins, and sarod is pleasant.
The next song in the album, called Ishq Ki Daastan is a Quawalli, sung by Kavitha Krishnamurthi and Preethi Uttam. Singing and dancing were the order of the day, in the Mogul era, and Quawallis were a Mogul speciality, carried forward to the present day. The accompaniments are traditional on the violin and tabla, resounding to the sounds of the Ghungroo and clapping. The song is all about love, about feeding and watching your love grow. , run the lyrics. Though the song is not bad, the voices of these two singers are not ideally suited for a Quawalli, and hence the song lacks punch and vigour. Quawalli singers have a particular style of singing, and their voice modulation needs to be different from those who sing regular songs, and this is where this song fails to take off.
Hariharan and Preethi Uttam come together again for another song titled Dilruba Dilruba. This is a song where the lead characters are in distress, as their love is threatened. The pace and rhythm of this song is much faster than those of the others, and the background reverberates to a chant of Allah O Allah. A love duet with a difference. Here again, one marvels at the range and richness of Hariharan's voice, while Preethi is competent.
Yeh Kaun Mujhe Yaad Aaya is a classical song, in the voice of Ajoy Chakravarthy. A song of the late evening, the melody is very haunting, and one can easily picture the mehfils of the Emperors of yore, as the court singer (as Tansen must have, in the court of Akbar) croons away in front of a Royal audience. Ajoy Chakravarthy displays a range of emotions, as he moves from a very low pitch to a high pitch, though he has a good voice, one feels that he is lacking in breath control, for one can hear loud breaths being taken, in between the lines. A song, which will appeal to the true lover and connoisseur of Hindustani music, though it is difficult to imagine the 'twenty somethings' youth of today taking a liking to this one.
The last song in the album is Taj Mahal (Crescendo), sung by the duo of Hariharan and Preethi Uttam. Preethi sings 'Dilruba Dilruba' in the background, in this song, which is set to the same tune as the earlier one 'Mumtaz Tuhje Dekha Jab Taj Mahal Dekha''. The song is a short rising crescendo, as the background repeats Taj Mahal, Taj Mahal.
Taj Mahal is easily one of the best albums to hit the market, in the last year or so, if one looks at the music content. Throughout the album, the accompaniments are traditional and simple, mainly using the violin, the table, the sarangi and the sarod. This is very much in keeping with the era of this film, and to his credit, Naushad has managed to re-create some of the romance and the magic of the original album. The vocals too are superior with Hariharan, Kavitha and Preethi excelling in their task. As far as popular appeal and demand goes, one hopes that this too doesn't fall prey to the young generation's desire, to predominantly hear fast, racy, 'dinchack' foot tapping item numbers. Last year, Kisna and Morning Raga, two very classical albums were forced to bite the dust. Let's see what the future holds in store for Taj Mahal.
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