by Ramya Shankar
[box]Listen to ‘Jhootha Hi Sahi’ and you wouldn’t be diasppointed, says Ramya Shankar. The music is youthful and vibrant, the lyrics an interesting experiment. Read on to find out how A.R.Rahman weaves magic yet again in this fun-filled album.[/box]After the success of ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’, ‘Jhootha Hi Sahi’ is Abbas Tyrewala’s second movie with A.R.Rahman. This refreshing album has a total of nine tracks including seven original soundtracks and two remixed tracks and encompasses a medley of moods and styles of music. Plenty of music – rich music indeed! Each track is a masterpiece and it doesn’t take too long to appreciate the splendour. Rahman has ensured that he has got the best singing talent on board for this album. With songs that sound youthful and vibrant, Rahman doesn’t fail to cast his musical spell on us with ‘Jhootha Hi Sahi’.
Call Me Dil – Rashid Ali
The album opens with the title track soulfully rendered by Rashid Ali. His voice has this sincerity to it that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. The scoring factor lies in the song’s simplicity that complements the beautiful lyrics. The chorus with its acoustic guitar and orchestration is very addictive. By the end of the song you start wondering why Rahman did not sing this himself, especially after listening to the great composer perform this song at the audio launch. Come on! As Rahmaniacs, we expect Rahman to sing in all of his albums. Yet, this time our expectations meet with disappointment. Guess some things are best left unanswered!
Cry Cry – Rashid Ali, Shreya Ghoshal
This song with its conversational lyrics and distracted arrangements is instantly appealing. The subtle underlying percussions are thoughtfully merged with the chords when Shreya Ghoshal begins crooning. The saxophone piece kicks in a different flavour just before Shreya starts pushing each note to its culmination in this interesting track. While Shreya intoxicates us with her sweetness, Rashid Ali is macho in his approach. He effortlessly scales the pitches and definitely has that extra oomph in his tone which is in stark contrast to his previous mellow track. But he does lose some points for not getting the right vernacular slang in his “kai-ko” , which one feels sounds a little sophisticated and lacking in that local flavour.
Hello Hello – Karthik
It is great to see Karthik back in Rahman’s scheme of things. The intriguing telephonic sounds in this song with its short melody, pauses and phrase-like lyric pattern has an ethereal touch to it. There is a certain laziness in Karthik’s singing that makes you feel like he’s whispering the entire song in your ears. This is one of those songs that actually takes a while to grow on you, merely because of the usage of multiple instruments in the background that are difficult to notice at once and appreciate.
Maiyya Yashoda (Jamuna Mix) – Chinmayi, Javed Ali
The first question that pops in your head is – Chinmayi? Really? She’s giving versatility a whole new dimension with her rendition! Maiyya Yashoda has a very catchy Indian folk tune that just cannot go wrong. It would be every dancer’s dream to sway to this expressive song. Javed Ali reasserts himself as a singer to watch out for. His vocal antics and pronunciations have a rustic folk flavour that comes naturally to him. After you hear the Thames version, it takes a while for this one to catch on, but when it does, you will be glad.
Maiyya Yashoda (Thames Mix) – Chinmayi, Javed Ali
This one is the remixed, British version of the Jamuna mix. It instantly creates an upbeat mood and gets you on your feet. From the sitar that has been programmed gently enough to provide the right amount of extra punch, to the dulcet flute that accompanies the groovy beats, everything about this song is instantly likeable.
I’ve Been Waiting – Vijay Jesudas
Right from the opening note, this song spells jazz. It’s the sort of song that conjures visions of a perfectly romantic night complete with a full moon, a man so full of love at a piano, singing away to his beautiful belle. As you envision all this, Vijay Jesudas shifts from English to Hindi with no trace of an accent in both languages that he sings in. This classical jazz is a treat to the ears with its beautiful orchestration pieces.
Pam Para – Shreya Ghoshal
Shreya yet again shows off her diverse vocal range and tonal quality. The first Irish music bit guides the song to a whole new channel where new beats are added along with some jazz sections. And then the genius that Rahman is, he adds a few more funky percussion layers to the track before Shreya polishes off the song in a scale twice as high as what she begins with originally.
Do Nishaniyan – Sonu Nigaam
Every note that comes out of Sonu’s voice speaks of his rich vocal experience. The song is almost magical, yet one feels like there is void that needs to be filled. Maybe the usage of the song in the storyline will take care of that? It makes you smile, but there is a certain mystery hidden beneath this soulful ballad. But, this song clearly shows off why Sonu Nigaam is one of the best singers of the current generation.
Do Nishaniyan (Heartbreak Reprise) – Sonu Nigaam
The guy is asking for forgiveness, from his soul. And just as you get deeply involved in the song, it is hard to say no to all that he is saying. If there is beauty in simplicity, this is what it is. This track isn’t very different from the original except for the lyrics.
A.R.Rahman combines different genres of music into this one album so seamlessly that when put together, what you get is an absolute knockout! Though there are tracks like ‘Maiyya Yashoda’ and Cry Cry’ that are instant hits, songs like ‘Hello Hello’ and ‘Pam para’ do take some time to catch on because of their unique arrangements. But none of the songs are any lesser than the others. I bet it just takes a while to appreciate the hidden genius. ‘Jhootha Hi Sahi’ is an album that would go on to bring a smile to your face and a new bounce in your step.
My pick of the album: To avoid the wrath of fellow Rahmaniacs and trying to be as fair as possible, I would do a three-way tie between Cry Cry, Maiyya Yashoda and I’ll be waiting.
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