6-7/10, i concur

I like the Music but It has nothing like you can call a good song All you can hear is music but there is no words you can sing.

I'd have to agree with you guys.

With the Yuva title song, Dol Dol and Fanaa...the lyrics are utterly hopless for the most part!!

In a sense, the majority of the numbers will be in the background from what I've heard, so in that sense the music is only needed. However, I'm curious how it will turn out.

Other than that, I really like the album!

ali2004, yaar, i upgraded u!updated, I mean!

Whatever, I think, just part of music compositions r nice!

I'll lump this album, with AR's other TAMIL translated, ABSURD lyrically albums like HINDUSTANI, HUM SE HAI MUQABALA etc etc!

Those albums were sold, AR's fans liked them, but they were never able to COMMAND a CLASSIC status, esp in NORTH, as the OTHER more balanced albums, like DIL SE, TAAL, MEENAXI, SAATHIYA, RANGEELA, LAGAAN, etc

IMHO, even BOMBAY was more SOULFUL..even music not gona be included in the film, does not make this album, off the hook, being one of terrible LYRICALLY ever!

I personally feel, this album, as musical BODY, but no LYRICAL SOUL!

Just look at BHOOT, it was not included in the film, not even background!!!!!

Yuva would be much more SALEABLE in NORTH INDIA, if Mani Sir!! has not gone CHEAPO with Mehboob, instead of Javaid Akhtar or Gulzar..

Whenever this Tamil music is translated with these poets, results have been incredible, e.g SAPNAY by JAVAID AKHTAR!

***PS, I dont think, this film, with MAHA FLOP CAST, and SHODDY music album, will do any decent buisness in NORTH, forget about overseas, Dil se, did better overseas, because of SRK!

I like the Tamil cover better (posted here)

We can tell from your signature!

In this case though, remember that Mani was originally going to make this movie itself without songs. The MAIN REASON, IMO, that this ablum is very different is I have a feeling most of the songs will be designated to the background.

If you notice the trailors, "Khuda Hafiz" is put into the background just to show the love theme of Kareena and Vivek.

I think the other songs will also suit in this manner. In that case, the songs are meant to provide, MAJORLY, just the music to it...in this sense, lyrics aren't, and dont need to be, as memorable as his other works.

On the strong point, every song has a truly powerful quality to it...like Rahman's use of trance and bringing it forward into the music. I am still overtly positive about the use of the music in the film, as while the music is different from Rahman's normal albums, like Meenaxi, I think the film ITSELF will be made to suit these songs, or vice versa.

YUVA's music is excellent!!

I dont deny anyone's listening pleasure, as i repeatedly admitted, personal hearing visual preferences...

I concur 100% with this reviewer who sounds southish to me:

Yuva shows a different Rahman

Bijoy Venugopal | March 22, 2004 10:08 IST


Your opinion of A R Rahman's music notwithstanding, everything he does these days is hailed as a blockbuster. The industry pundits say so and you had better lap that up.

But I guess I am entitled to an independent opinion.

Something does seem to have changed for Rahman with Yuva, the Hindi version of the Mani Ratnam film made in Tamil as Ayutha Ezhuthu. Perhaps it is too early to take heart, but for the first time in ages, we see him withdrawing from his odious staple of massive orchestration and preferring to play around with voices.

This is a lean offering -- six tracks, under 30 minutes of listening. Refreshing when you consider how many previous compilations have been fattened with remixes like Thanksgiving turkeys.

Talking of which, let's pick out the turkeys first.

Dol dol has some very annoying rap by Blaaze, the same guy who brought you all that nerve-jangling stuff in Boys. Shahin Badar, the Indo-Arabic songstress from the UK who has performed on Nitin Sawhney and on the trailer of Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life, also performs this track. But she is nearly invisible as her voice is cut into ribbons with some half-hearted mixing.

Dhakka laga bukka, the title track with its refrain of O yuva yuva…is performed by Rahman with lyricist Mehboob and Karthik. Rowdy and streetwise, it is immensely layered and chaotic.

Yuva's star cast -- and we don't mean the actors -- is luminous. Lucky Ali, sounding crisp, performs Khuda hafiz with Karthik and the mellifluous Sunitha Sarathy, a Team Rahman regular. But the track lapses into an incomprehensible jazz piano interlude that is not only pretentious but also completely needless.

Kabhi neem neem, performed by Madhushree, has an interesting percussion arrangement. Rahman keeps ambience down to a minimum, which is just as fair for Madhushree's voice is strong and carries the track on its own steam.

Adnan Sami sparkles with Alka Yagnik on Baadal though the halting beat is distracting. Rahman fans may find Sami too languid for their taste but in an album thickened with sound, his is the expert touch. His vocals are cool and balanced, and you cannot accuse him of trying too hard.

Rahman's bad habits, conspicuously underplayed throughout the rest of the album, resurface in Fanaa, sung by Sarathy and Tanvi. Multi-layered and dense, the last track also has him pitching in with vocals. Frightful. But if you give no care, you can dance your limbs off to this one, though the quavering tempo can be a downer.

The album inlay card devotes ample space to Mehboob's lyrics, which are consistently incoherent. It is hard to see what epiphany inspired any of this babble. The album is clearly Rahman's show, mostly because the rampant, aggressive percussion that usually accompanies his arrangements is underplayed.

A colleague sheepishly admitted, "I bought this for the free CD." Venus, which has released the album, has thrown in a freebie -- a CD of Rahman's big hits.

It's always fun to get what you don't pay for.


*** Despite the facts, that I think this album, is just ONE MAN BEAT HEAVY SHOW! lacking SOUL, or CREDIBLE lyrical support!

I'll buy this CD for free bees too..because, I did buy LAKEER too, that I always thought was a TURKEY by A R REHMAN!

I concur, TAMIL, COVER OF CD ARTWORK is much better than HINDI, including every thing else!

**** variable taste, this SRK fan, finds YUVA better than SAATHIYA??????

Yuva
By Abid ©2004 Bollyvista.com


Credits
Music: A.R. Rahman
Lyrics: Mehboob
Vocals: A.R. Rahman, Adnan Sami, Alka Yagnik, Blaaze, Karthik, Lucky Ali, Madhushree, Mehboob, Shahin Badar, Sunita Sarathy and Tanvi
Label: Venus


A lot had been said about the music of 'Yuva' even before anyone actually had the chance to listen to the actual soundtrack. That's why we decided to give it at least 4-5 hearings over a period of 2-3 days, so that it could be reviewed objectively.

There are a total of 6 numbers, with thankfully no repetitions or fillers thrown in.

The album's opening number 'Dhakka Laga Bukka' is a youthful rhythmic song featuring Rahman, Karthik and Mehboob. It is at times inspirational and at times displays a 'cares a damn' attitude of the youths. The lyrics could have been better.

'Khuda Hafiz' is by far the best song of the album. After 'Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai' and 'Sur', Lucky Ali is in top form yet again. He blends in well with Sunita Sarathy and is also supported by Karthik. The chorus is also quite good. It's sure to be a chartbuster.

A.R. Rahman has this habit of coming up with wonderful sufi and folk style combinations and 'Kabhi Neem Neem' is an example of that. Once again he has done an excellent job. Madhushree is also very good.

'Dol Dol' has some Apache Indian style rap by Blaaze. But by and large it is more like an instrumental and you can barely decipher what Shahin Badar is saying or singing! No great shakes but it can be a good dance floor number.

'Baadal' seems to have continued from where 'Aye Udi Udi Udi' ended in 'Saathiya' and credit must be given to Rahman for using Adnan Sami in a song, which suits his style perfectly and is complemented well by Alka Yagnik. The musical arrangement, as well as lyrics is first rate for this number.

'Fanaa' features Sunita Sarathy and Tanvi. This number is a fitting finale to the album. It has an excellent combination of western and classical music and superb lyrics, which lift the song to an even higher level. Add this one to the countdown.

To conclude, 'Yuva' is one of the best albums of 2004 (there have been very few). In a nutshell, if one wants to compare, it's a level above 'Saathiya' but a notch below 'Dil Se'.

Rating 7.5 / 10

On the basis of lyrics you can't compare Saathiya, Yuva and Dil Se....but on the basis of music...even in that case its difficult to, since one is a love story, another is a film on youth and a third is on love with a backdrop of terrorism

Anybody know if the Tamil version comes with a freebie?

http://planetbollywood.com/Music/Yuva/

((((As always, Rahman comes up with a good album here. Unfortunately, I would have to say that Yuva fails to live up to the expectations of many music lovers. Myself being an adamant fan of Rahman, I was pretty disappointed when I heard this soundtrack, as I was in the Dil Se mode from the very beginning. Honestly, it is unfair to compare this soundtrack to the likes of Roja, Bombay, or Dil Se, because Yuva is nowhere close to the quality that those three, especially Dil Se, possess. Yuva, no doubt, is a welcome collection to any CD compilation, as all of Rahman’s works are, but if you are expecting a masterpiece of any sort then this one will surely disappoint. I guess Yuva was just an aftershock of a truly memorable masterpiece, Meenaxi. ))))))


Reviewed by: Aakash Gandhi
Reviewer's Rating: 8 out of 10
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Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rahman are a combination that gives “the magic of music” a new meaning. Coming together to give us such masterpieces as Roja, Bombay, and the most notorious, Dil Se; they are back together in what is the most awaited musical score of the year, Yuva. This will be Mani Ratnam’s first appearance in the director’s chair after six long years (Dil Se), and who better to rope in as the musical lead than the one and only A.R. Rahman. Last year didn’t prove as promising for Rahman, as he only had one release, Tehzeeb, which didn’t quite go down too well with the masses. Fortunately, 2004 looks like a much better year for A.R. Rahman, as this will be his third release of the year, following Lakeer and Meenaxi. If there is anything going against Rahman in this case, it would have to be the massive expectations from him to give the industry another perfect composition. Knowing Rahman, he probably loves these kinds of opportunities, with history as evidence, but let’s just see if he’s able to live up to the challenge.

The opening track of the album is Dhukka Laga Bukka sung by Karthik, Mehboob and A.R. Rahman. From the beginning this track is very appealing. With this also being regarded as the title track since it has the lines Oh Yuva Yuva, the song will appeal to the youth rather than the elderly. Unfortunately, the rendition by the singer-lyricist-composer threesome does not do much for the ears and just reaches average. The composition by Rahman is well done but the draw back to his composition, as is throughout the album, is the fact that he does not allow any opportunity for change. Throughout the track, Rahman uses the same percussional rhythm. On another note, the lyrics by Mehboob are nothing to rave about. As will the composition, the lyrics will probably find approval by the youth. Average (for Rahman).

The next track is the infectious Dol Dol. Like before, Rahman begins this track on a great note, with an invigorating liquification of synthesizers, drums, and bass. The rap supplements by Blaaze are alright when you compare them to the disgraceful rap he offered in Chori Pe Chori (Saathiya). Once again, Rahman did not change his harmony at all throughout all four minutes of the song, which leads to an end result of annoyance, especially with Blaaze rambling on and on. One thing that I did appreciate was Rahman’s use of Shahin Badar’s vocals, which were nicely altered by Rahman. Not to mislead anyone…this track is definitely a winner, but relative to Rahman’s usual, this one could have been much better!

Now this is vintage Rahman! Back to his ingenious and creative self, Rahman finds a new talent in Sunitha Sarathy, who sounds a tad similar to Sunidhi Chauhan in her rendition of the line Eh Khuda Hafiz. After using unconventional and underrated vocalists such as Kunal Ganjawall, Adnan Sami, and Daler Mehndi in his previous albums, he utilizes the extremely talented Lucky Ali. After his comeback in Kaho Naa…Pyar Hai and his superior performance in Sur, Lucky Ali lends his heavy vocals here to bring a breath of fresh air into the album and succeeds immensely! Unlike in the previous two songs, Rahman does allow himself to venture off into the land of creativity, which he is ever so popular for. My personal favorite is when he adds the piano to accompany Sunitha’s rendition. Only Rahman is capable of creating such an effect. In addition to the masterful composition and uncanny vocals, Mehboob’s lyrics don’t disappoint either and he writes some winsome lyrics for both Sunitha and Lucky to sing to.

Kabhi Neem Neem is another gem of a song. All three categories account for the highlight of this piece; the composition, the vocals, as well as the lyrics. Throughout the song, Rahman uses a ballad harmony, which gives the track a rudimentary feel to it. But, within this balladry folk tune, Rahman throws in numerous variations that give the song it’s fresh and primitive feel. The other highlight of this score would have to lie in it’s vocal content. The queen of the vocal reigns here is the very underrated Madhurshree, who was last heard in Rahman’s “Naina Milaike” (Saathiya). Here she sounds a bit like Rahman’s Tehzeeb favorite, Sujata Battacharya, as both have the same rich texture to their voice. As if all this weren’t enough, Rahman gives us something truly special…his own voice, that too in a classical style. His alaaps throughout the piece are a treat for the ears as Rahman really does weave his magic all around this number!

The next song, Baadal is not as well composed as Kabhi Neem Neem and Khuda Hafiz, is a treat to listen to. Personally, this song took a few listens to grow on me, as most of Rahman’s tracks tend to take, but when I did get a feel for it, that repeat button seemed so big! Without digressing too far, this score seems to be a sequel to Aye Udi Udi (Saathiya), as Rahman uses the same beats, the same tempo, and the same singer. Anyhow, Adnan Sami and Alka Yagnik do justice to their roles as playback singers here. Both are able to create an atmosphere of liking, as their on-audio chemistry is a treat to listen to. Mehboob’s lyrics are above-average to say the least but the treasure of this piece lies in the voice of the singers.

The best part of the final track "Fanaa" is Rahman’s rendition of the word Fanaa. In addition Rahman’s vocals are left to impress as he completely takes control of this song. Rahman picks up where Dol Dol left off and composes another fast-tempo disco song. Once again, as was the case in the beginning of the album, Rahman doesn’t digress from the monotonous harmony, which holds you in but then soon let’s you go. The greatest of variation comes when Rahman throws in his classical alaaps once again, which come as a highlight in this song. Mehboob’s lyrics are very unconventional here. “Hone dho dil ko….fanaa,” which roughly translates to, “Let your heart become completely destroyed…” is a line to perplex. Whatever the case may be, this song is definitely going to be accepted by the masses.

As always, Rahman comes up with a good album here. Unfortunately, I would have to say that Yuva fails to live up to the expectations of many music lovers. Myself being an adamant fan of Rahman, I was pretty disappointed when I heard this soundtrack, as I was in the Dil Se mode from the very beginning. Honestly, it is unfair to compare this soundtrack to the likes of Roja, Bombay, or Dil Se, because Yuva is nowhere close to the quality that those three, especially Dil Se, possess. Yuva, no doubt, is a welcome collection to any CD compilation, as all of Rahman’s works are, but if you are expecting a masterpiece of any sort then this one will surely disappoint. I guess Yuva was just an aftershock of a truly memorable masterpiece, Meenaxi.

The guy was expecting Dil Se from the very beginning. Repeating Dil Se for this movie would have made zero sense, the theme of the movie would suit such music. I would hardly call this guy a true Rahman fan.

-Bh