Music Director: Amit Trivedi,
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya, Shellee, Mani,
Rating: 3.5/5,
Label: T-Series,
By now, everyone knows about his debut film ‘Aamir’ and success of the phenomenal ‘Ek Lau’.
After six months, Amit Trivedi is back with the 15-track album Dev D. One can make out from the music of ‘Dev D’ that Amit Trivedi is a class apart – a director who is gradually breaking Bollywood’s ‘run-of-the-mill’ song making attitude. ‘Emosanal Attyachaar’ is already making waves on the promos, but there some gems in this ‘huge’ album that should be given an ear.
Here’s the lowdown…
Starting with the film’s theme music, the Dev D whistle theme is something to look out for – the careless catchy whistle tune is brilliantly paired with violins and cellos. Wonder how this will look on-screen!
Aankh Micholi is a peppy electronic track which has Amit Trivedi taking on the vocals. The intro of the song is great and the melody doesn’t really demand an extraordinary singer – Amit Trivedi fits in well. The lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya sound good, but listeners may find it a little hard to focus on, owing to the loud arrangements.
The resonating Dhol yaara dhol has casual vocals by Shilpa Rao – singer Kshitij sounds fresh and engaging. The song portrays varied moods and has all the elements which a folk song should have. Shellee’s words add a lot more meaning to the melody.
Another well written song is Dil Mein Jaagi by Mani. She writes as well as sings the song – and this is probably one of the best tracks on the album. The beautifully arranged operatic song has dominant ‘western classical’ piano. You’ll love the highs and lows.
The catchy song building intro of Duniya will make you jump. With the ‘hilarious’ lyrics, Amitabh Bhattacharya proves his versatility and command on words. On vocals, Amit Trivedi adds character to the madness that the song demands, while the song’s electronic arrangements distinctly stand out.
Paayaliya has the honey’ed’ voice of Shruthi Pathak. Seems like she’s also a good song writer! Paayaliya has a great classical mood. The delightful sound will gravitate many listeners to repeat it again and again.
Did you know Amit Trivedi played for a rock band before? Well, he brings out that experience in Ek Hulchul Si. This is a song with a ‘marching’ beat. Joi Barua sounds ‘easy’ and ‘going’ – just like a rock singer. Amitabh Bhattacharya is galvanising with words. The song has some nice guitar work (rock and slide guitar solo). Ek Hulchul Si is an aesthetic modern paean to ‘Rock’.
‘Emosanal Attyachaar’ is undoubtedly ‘the break-up’ song of the year. The song has two versions -Brass Band version and Rock (more than sufficient till the lovelorn recover) the song ‘celebrates’ break-up – not a bad idea! On a ‘serious’ note – Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya sure have a funny bone.
In sum, Amit Trivedi has experimented with diverse genres; western classical, rock, electronica, Indian classical and fusion. The composer has worked with several new writers (Shellee, Mani) and singers (Joi Barua, Bony Chakravarthy, Shruti Pathak) who ultimately add freshness to the sound and the overall music.
So what’s refreshing about this album? It’s original and ‘sensible’ experimentation – good balance of music, wordplay and melody.
