Music Review: 99 Songs (Hindi)
Composer(s): A. R. Rahman
Listen to the songs online here: JioSaavn
99 Songs, the latest sonic effort from Isai Puyal A. R. Rahman, also sees him take up additional responsibilities as the producer and the co-writer. But don't let the film's title fool you, because there aren't actually 99 songs in the album. That doesn't mean it isn't long. At 14 songs and a little over an hour, it's easily one of the biggest soundtracks from the legendary composer since Rockstar.
It's also an ambitious effort, but nothing new for Rahman, who has been rewriting the rules of music in recent years with an intensity that would put his contemporaries to shame. If anything, 99 Songs may come across as an exercise in self-indulgence, with some songs, despite their breezy tunes, floating by without registering much of impression (Nayi Nayi, Teri Nazar) or still carrying a whiff of electronics-heavy orchestral opulence from the days of Yuvvraaj (Jwalamukhi, where Arijit Singh sounds so unlike his usual self I had to double-check the credits).
The album is also evocative of Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar for reasons more than one, including in its use of Shashwat Singh as the lead vocals, just like Mohit Chauhan was the consistent lead voice for the 2011 film. As if that weren't enough, the sheer variety of genres and moods Rahman manages to squeeze in within the confines of a mainstream soundtrack is ample proof that the composer is nowhere near the bottom of his bag of tricks.
The Oracle, the only intrumental, features elaborate gossamer-like piano sections before picking up pace and climaxing in a rousing crescendo of sorts. Humnawaa, with lyrics from Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh alongside singers Shashaa Tirupati and Abhay Jodhpurkar, is at once airy and ethereal, even as Tirupati hums over the piano bits, culminating in shifting, enticing harmonies. Rahman weaves a sprawling tapestry of sounds in Sofia, enveloping Shashwat Singh's vocals in a cascade of guitars and choral melodic flourishes.
Shashaa Tirupati returns for a second time in Soja Soja — a lovely assemblage of piano (Randy Kerber), expansive brass and string arrangements — and completely owns the whimsical retro-leaning jazz production, while Shashwat Singh adds a lot of heft to the brooding O Aashiqa, an exquisite thematic melody built around finely plucked guitar strums (Keba Jeremiah) and thudding percussion.
Bela Shende's soul-stirring rendition, accompanied by Naveen Kumar and Kareem Kamalakar's captivating flute solos, powers the serene lullaby O Mera Chand and the hymnal devotional piece Sai Shirdi Sai (originally released as a single last April). A throwback to Maro Maro from Boys, Veere Kadh De has a frenzied energy stamped all over it, complemented by a heady Punjabi folk-rap hybrid soundbed and an enthusiastic singing from Sarthak Kalyani, Swagath Rathod, Shiv, and Poorvi Koutish that makes it irresistibly groovy.
The Voice Without Words, in Koutish's whispery narration, is a dreamy trance-inducing affair, but Gori Godh Bhari is the aural centrepiece here. Sung with admirable finesse by the trio of Alka Yagnik, Anuradha Sriram, and Shweta Mohan, the song is a folk-infused classical melody backed by an arresting amalgamation of flute, shehnai, sarod, sitar, dholak, and tabla. An impossible convergence of pop variables, 99 Songs is an eclectic album packed with a nonstop rush of surprises.
Listen to the songs online here: JioSaavn
99 Songs, the latest sonic effort from Isai Puyal A. R. Rahman, also sees him take up additional responsibilities as the producer and the co-writer. But don't let the film's title fool you, because there aren't actually 99 songs in the album. That doesn't mean it isn't long. At 14 songs and a little over an hour, it's easily one of the biggest soundtracks from the legendary composer since Rockstar.
It's also an ambitious effort, but nothing new for Rahman, who has been rewriting the rules of music in recent years with an intensity that would put his contemporaries to shame. If anything, 99 Songs may come across as an exercise in self-indulgence, with some songs, despite their breezy tunes, floating by without registering much of impression (Nayi Nayi, Teri Nazar) or still carrying a whiff of electronics-heavy orchestral opulence from the days of Yuvvraaj (Jwalamukhi, where Arijit Singh sounds so unlike his usual self I had to double-check the credits).
The album is also evocative of Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar for reasons more than one, including in its use of Shashwat Singh as the lead vocals, just like Mohit Chauhan was the consistent lead voice for the 2011 film. As if that weren't enough, the sheer variety of genres and moods Rahman manages to squeeze in within the confines of a mainstream soundtrack is ample proof that the composer is nowhere near the bottom of his bag of tricks.
The Oracle, the only intrumental, features elaborate gossamer-like piano sections before picking up pace and climaxing in a rousing crescendo of sorts. Humnawaa, with lyrics from Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh alongside singers Shashaa Tirupati and Abhay Jodhpurkar, is at once airy and ethereal, even as Tirupati hums over the piano bits, culminating in shifting, enticing harmonies. Rahman weaves a sprawling tapestry of sounds in Sofia, enveloping Shashwat Singh's vocals in a cascade of guitars and choral melodic flourishes.
Shashaa Tirupati returns for a second time in Soja Soja — a lovely assemblage of piano (Randy Kerber), expansive brass and string arrangements — and completely owns the whimsical retro-leaning jazz production, while Shashwat Singh adds a lot of heft to the brooding O Aashiqa, an exquisite thematic melody built around finely plucked guitar strums (Keba Jeremiah) and thudding percussion.
Bela Shende's soul-stirring rendition, accompanied by Naveen Kumar and Kareem Kamalakar's captivating flute solos, powers the serene lullaby O Mera Chand and the hymnal devotional piece Sai Shirdi Sai (originally released as a single last April). A throwback to Maro Maro from Boys, Veere Kadh De has a frenzied energy stamped all over it, complemented by a heady Punjabi folk-rap hybrid soundbed and an enthusiastic singing from Sarthak Kalyani, Swagath Rathod, Shiv, and Poorvi Koutish that makes it irresistibly groovy.
The Voice Without Words, in Koutish's whispery narration, is a dreamy trance-inducing affair, but Gori Godh Bhari is the aural centrepiece here. Sung with admirable finesse by the trio of Alka Yagnik, Anuradha Sriram, and Shweta Mohan, the song is a folk-infused classical melody backed by an arresting amalgamation of flute, shehnai, sarod, sitar, dholak, and tabla. An impossible convergence of pop variables, 99 Songs is an eclectic album packed with a nonstop rush of surprises.
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