A too DARN GOOD review

For U S. K Nath!! Cheers! Enjoy!
MUSIC REVIEWS
YEH KYA HO RAHA HAI?
Director: Hansal Mehta
Producer: Pammi Baweja
Music: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
After the success of their previous venture “Dil Chahta Hai†and the mild success of “Abhay†comes a new soundtrack by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, perhaps the most versatile composers in Bollywood at the moment. Based once again on the theme of youth, and young love comes “Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai?†How does this soundtrack stack up against the previous albums of the composers’?
Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai:
A catchy title song opens up the soundtrack. The track is sung by relatively new singers Kunal, Nayan, and Arnab, along with Shankar Mahadevan. Sounding a bit similar to the title track from Dil Chahta Hai (especially at one of the main tune interludes), the track is sung in a very joyous and fun-loving mood, full of the spirit of youth. The background makes the song a bit more innovative, and quite catchy, along with the immediately catchy track. The music intervals, for most part, a pretty well-done, and fit the overall mood of the song. The singers do well in their parts, though it is a bit difficult to differentiate the three newer singers. Shankar Mahadevan is, as always, just great.
Rating: 9/10
Yaar Apna Ghar Jao:
Sung by the fresh trio of Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, and Kunal, this semi-disco track seems a bit inspired from American music from the 70s and 80s, especially through the use of the background guitar and beats. Nevertheless, the track is quite a lot of fun. The tune is quite catchy, and fast-paced. The instrumentation is well-done, as is the music. Shankar Mahadevan and Shaan sound great in their parts, as does Kunal, whose voice contains a similar component to that of Sukhwinder Singh’s.
Rating: 7.5/10
Yeh Sama:
After two fun-loving tracks sung by the guys comes a love duet, sung by Shaan and Sowmya (presumably the same Sowmya who sang in previous S-E-L venture Dus). The track is a pleasant and nice one, with an overall calming effect, combined with slightly loud drum beats in the background, a bit similar to “Kaisi Hai Yeh Rut†from DCH. Sowmya and Shaan sound nice in their respective parts. The lyrics by Javed Akhtar are quite nice as well. The instrumentation throughout is pleasant, especially the flute, played by Rakesh Chaurasia. The tune is moderately-paced.
Rating: 8/10
Aarzoo:
Another fast-paced track joins the album, once again, a bit similar to some 80s numbers from America. However, this time, the inspiration is a bit less noticeable, and the track is a bitmore enjoyable. Shankar Mahadevan sings once again, this time with Babul Supriyo in this moderately to fast-paced duet. The singers, as usual, sound great in their parts. The music is rendered with a bit more unconventional touch.
Rating: 7.5/10
Ooh Yeh!:
Starting out in a fashion similar to “Ooh La La†from Sapnay, this track is another nice love duet, similar to “Yeh Samaâ€, rendered by Mahalaxmi and KK. KK sounds a bit out of place at first in this slow love duet, as he has been typecast to louder songs, but he later sounds quite good. Mahalaxmi sounds good, but a bit off-key at parts. The tune is quite nice and flowing, and made even nicer with the addition of the background chorus of “Ooh Yeh!â€. The lyrical interludes are well-done as well, as is the background music.
Rating: 8/10
Kuch Hum Bhi Pagal Hain:
What would a soundtrack like this be without a club song? Continuing where “Koi Kahe†from DCH left off, comes this club number. However, this time around, the track is all-female, sung by Shweta, Sunidhi Chauhan, and Gayatri. Starting off with a short introduction, with claps in the background, this track quickly progresses into a catchy club number. Though the tune is a bit slow for this type of number, it is still catchy nonetheless and works with the music. The music interludes are absolutely great, especially the main instrumental complement. The singers sound great together, with Sunidhi Chauhan stealing most of the limelight. One would imagine this number would be very well-picturized for the film.
Rating: 8.5/10
Ooh Yeh! (Instrumental):
Usually, instrumental versions of tracks end up being fillers that sound like elevator music. However, this instrumental is worth a listen, mainly due to the wonderful instrumentation. Mahalaxmi’s part is replaced by a pleasant flute, and KK’s by a great sitar, played by Ehsaan himself. The track has an overall pleasant effect, and is really worth listening to.
Rating: 8/10
Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai:
Though by appearance, one might expect this track to be a reprise, similar to the title track from Dil Chahta Hai, it’s just a repeat of the original title track with no noticeable differences.
Rating: N/A
Overall Music and Instrumentation:
Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy do a great job arranging the music, and really work well to complement the mood of both the individual tracks, as well as the proposed theme of the film. Though at times one gets a touch of déjà vu from Dil Chahta Hai’s soundtrack, this is yet another unique soundtrack to stand out on its own.
Rating: 9/10
Overall Singing:
In this soundtrack, a lot of either new or unknown singers are introduced. Among them is Kunal, Nayan, Arnad, Sowmya, Shweta and Gayatri. They are all, for most part, a treat to listen to, and do a great job together. As far as the more seasoned veterans, Shankar Mahadevan does an excellent job, as would be expected. Shaan and KK do a good job in their respective love duets, and Sunidhi is great in her club number. Mahalaxmi comes off as good, though a bit disappointing.
Rating: 9/10
Overall:
Another feather in S-E-L’s cap. Though some may call this soundtrack too similar to Dil Chahta Hai, it really serves a different purpose, and the composers have done this very well. A great soundtrack, that deserves the same success that Dil Chahta Hai enjoyed.
Overall Rating (Not an average): 8.4/10
***Kiya baat hai!! S.E .L ki, ab Johar ki film bhi milgayi!!
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