Music Review: Atrangi Re (Hindi)
Composer(s): A. R. Rahman
Listen to the songs online here: JioSaavn
Atrangi Re, much like A. R. Rahman's recent slate of releases, is a delightful potpourri. It's a lovely compilation, featuring a sound palette that one instantly associates with the composer, chief among them being the lively instrumental solos, peppered choruses and fusion elements, off-piste mixes and arrangements, and usual suspects like Arijit Singh, Haricharan Seshadri, Shashaa Tirupati and Shreya Ghoshal lending voices to the choicest of songs. But making a return after years in a Rahman composition is Daler Mehndi, who leads the celebratory Garda that's complemented by a spirited brass arrangement. As energetic as it is and designed for maximum mainstream appeal, the comparison to Param Sundari is hard to shrug off and it emerges the soundtrack's weakest link. The north-meets-south traditional fusion Chaka Chak offers a neat throwback in Shreya's excellent vocals, while Toofaan Si Kudi is characterised by a spring in its steps and a mindboggling mix of percussive elements (did you catch the idakka and manjira?) that gets particularly exciting towards the last segment. Rahman conjures a hauntingly sparse melody in Tumhein Mohabbat Hai that's at once melancholic and beautifully serene, even as it finds its perfect counterpoint in Arijit Singh poignant rendition (the Tamil version of the song, Idhudhaan En Kadhai, has Srinivas emoting somberly emoting against the backdrop of guitar chords). Tere Rang stands in stark contrast, a richly constructed piece and all its little production touches, the classical flourishes and the orchestral blend of dhols, flute and tabla, fit impeccably into the whole. To top it all, Haricharan and Shreya Ghoshal harmonise throughout the melody, playing off each other and singing at the same time but in different scales and performing their own ornamentations and yet somehow always in sync. Sung by Dhanush and Hiral Viradia, Little Little — reminiscent of Indira's Odakara Marimuthu and Minsara Kanavu's Strawberry Kannae — starts off as a charming yet meandering track before it progressively adds new folky layers and erupts into something ecstatic. Rait Zara Si is an absolute onslaught in the voices of Arijit Singh and Shashaa Tirupati, its thavil-backed orchestration and Tamil chorus seamlessly fusing with the exquisite melody. A. R. Rahman closes out 2021 on an overwhelmingly pleasant note.
Listen to the songs online here: JioSaavn
Atrangi Re, much like A. R. Rahman's recent slate of releases, is a delightful potpourri. It's a lovely compilation, featuring a sound palette that one instantly associates with the composer, chief among them being the lively instrumental solos, peppered choruses and fusion elements, off-piste mixes and arrangements, and usual suspects like Arijit Singh, Haricharan Seshadri, Shashaa Tirupati and Shreya Ghoshal lending voices to the choicest of songs. But making a return after years in a Rahman composition is Daler Mehndi, who leads the celebratory Garda that's complemented by a spirited brass arrangement. As energetic as it is and designed for maximum mainstream appeal, the comparison to Param Sundari is hard to shrug off and it emerges the soundtrack's weakest link. The north-meets-south traditional fusion Chaka Chak offers a neat throwback in Shreya's excellent vocals, while Toofaan Si Kudi is characterised by a spring in its steps and a mindboggling mix of percussive elements (did you catch the idakka and manjira?) that gets particularly exciting towards the last segment. Rahman conjures a hauntingly sparse melody in Tumhein Mohabbat Hai that's at once melancholic and beautifully serene, even as it finds its perfect counterpoint in Arijit Singh poignant rendition (the Tamil version of the song, Idhudhaan En Kadhai, has Srinivas emoting somberly emoting against the backdrop of guitar chords). Tere Rang stands in stark contrast, a richly constructed piece and all its little production touches, the classical flourishes and the orchestral blend of dhols, flute and tabla, fit impeccably into the whole. To top it all, Haricharan and Shreya Ghoshal harmonise throughout the melody, playing off each other and singing at the same time but in different scales and performing their own ornamentations and yet somehow always in sync. Sung by Dhanush and Hiral Viradia, Little Little — reminiscent of Indira's Odakara Marimuthu and Minsara Kanavu's Strawberry Kannae — starts off as a charming yet meandering track before it progressively adds new folky layers and erupts into something ecstatic. Rait Zara Si is an absolute onslaught in the voices of Arijit Singh and Shashaa Tirupati, its thavil-backed orchestration and Tamil chorus seamlessly fusing with the exquisite melody. A. R. Rahman closes out 2021 on an overwhelmingly pleasant note.
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