Glamsham reviews Delhi 6 music

Year 2009 has opened up magnanimously for maestro A R Rahman and expectations are humongous as the stage is all set for his first major Bollywood musical release- DELHI-6. It brings out another colossal combination for UTV, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and lyricist Prasoon Joshi, the team that created history with the critically acclaimed RANG DE BASANTI.

DELHI-6 holds another major significance in Bollywood as Rahman experiments out with ʽContinuum Fingerboardʼ (a three dimensional music controller device) for the first time in many of his compositions for a contemporary Hindi film. Once again, the challenges are big and the feel is innovative as varied genres, styles and talents concoct again to create another hullabaloo of success. Does DELHI-6 have the sufficient fire to match up the high standards of RANG DE BASANTI and the internationally acclaimed SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE? Will DELHI-6 be adding up as another proud entry in the long listing of A R Rahman's successive grand successes? Let's get started with the tracks that deserve to be analyzed with full exactitude...!

After serenading out some tantalizing soft-rock ballads, Mohit Chauhan streams out in typical ''filmi'' overtones with wavering vocal modulations in ''ched-chad'' solo track ''Masakalli''. Prasoon Joshi's mischievously flowing wordings (''Zara pankh jhatak, gayi dhool atak aur lachak machak ke door bhatak...) about lovable bird (''Masakalli'') has that poetical ire (''Ghar tera saloni, badal ki colony, Dikhlade thenga in sabko jo udna na jaane...'') that epitomizes naivety, impishness in that gullible ''child-like'' character. A R Rahman's music tries to be edgy rather than syrupy in those modulating instrumental connotations that strikes rhythmical chemistry with Mohit's cheeky vocals. ''Masakalli'' is going to be raised up in volumes as well as in chartbusting listing for its rustic rawness and innovative feel and probably be catching fast for its massy appeal. Mohit Chauhan notches up his first major solo hit of this year with ''Masakalli'' and that also brings laurels to the poetical prowess of Prasoon Joshi. Chartbuster!!!

A R Rahman, a name synonymous to wide range of experimentation makes the most purist attempt at Indian classical music of our times in meticulously composed ''Bhor Bhaye''. This classically pristine number brings the most intellectual singing aspect of Shreya Ghoshal, where she almost gets tutelage as well as consistent backing of puritans like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in its traditionalist rendition.

Amitabh Bachchan's poetical exuberance in softer notes have the austerity and grace that epitomizes the ''emotional quotient'' (EQ) of the flick in concise but impressive ''Noor''.

The divine intervention of spiritualism comes in the form of ''Aarti (Tumre Bhavan Mein)'', a modestly pleasant ''bhajan'' in the voices of Rekha Bharadwaj, Kishori Gowariker, Shraddha Pandit and Sujata Majumdar. It can be termed as simplistically softer version of emotionally enriched ''O Palanhaare'' (LAGAAN) with traditional religious verses emoted out with serenity of pious sentiments.

Rekha Bharadwaj's folksy nasal twang leads the female bandwagon of traditional ''ladies-sangeet'' where typical ''Delhi-waala'' pre-marriage celebrations takes routes of ''disco-beat'' lounges in ''Genda Phool''. It charters the traditionalism of festivity where the pairing of Shraddha Pandit and Sujata Majumdar forms effective choir singers in this sluggish ''dhin-chak'' beats arrangement soundtrack.

There was ''dreams-unlimited'' euphoric feel in the subtle orchestrations in ''Tu Bin Bataye'' (RANG DE BASANTI) that captured the unveiled mysticism of undying romance in it. This nostalgia of tender emotions regenerates back in similar sounding sappy composition ''Dil Mera Giraftan'' with better sounding techno-generated sound effects that brings gifted vocals of Ash King along with back-up support of Chinmaye to the fore. Rahman's makes it a remarkable conglomerate of varied instrumentals (flute, keyboards, violin and piano) that are mellifluously interwoven in those tender beats and rhythmical beat flows. Ash King proves to be the ''find'' of the album for his sonorously porous vocals permeates subtly in those feather-touch lingering orchestral displays. Soulful!!!

Murky, mischievous and Machiavellian! A R Rahman's races out Afro-American hip-hop blasting beat-culture bombastic splurge in gibberish overtones of roguish wording in ''Hey Kala Bandar''. It sounds almost sequel to recently heard ''Shanno Shanno'' (YUVVRAAJ) where youthful spirits gets loud eruption of ''black humor'' in the vocals of Karthik, Naresh, Srinivas and Bony Chakravarthy. Prasoon Joshi's picks up snazzy one-liners in those Arabic-hip hop rhythmical beat patterns to make it impulsively bouncy soundtrack.

Somber tonality of supple jazz cum blues musical maneuvers takes over where Rahman along with Benny Dayal and Tanvi emotes out in lower octaves in impressive sounding ''Rehna Tu''. It's has that melodramatic situational song appeal with a strong international musical substance that transcends well from thumping beats in its prelude to oozing ''jazz'' substances in its concluding verses. It adds one more attribute in this soft-sentimental moods cadre that will be likely to be sapped by its potential listeners.

''Delhi-6'', the ''funk-a-licious'' title track forms a mix and match of ''Paathshala'' and ''Roobaro'' (RANG DE BASANTI) with that extra perky ''reggae ton'' rendition in its racy flows. Blaaze along with Benny Dayal, Vivinenne Pocha, Tanvi and Claire gets boisterously persuasive in symbolizing out the ''Delhi'' yuppie feel. Vivinenne and Claire lyrics try to be equivocal in its wishy-washy flows with infectious hip-hop cum reggae getting up straight into senses.

It's was divine bliss to hear something as pious as ''Piya Haji Ali'' (FIZA) and ''Khwaja Mere Khwaja'' (JODHA AKBAR) and again A R Rahman scores pure gold as he continues to be generously mellifluous in ''Arziyaan''. Despite some traditional classical instrumentals and composition there are added synchronized arrangements (preferably with support of ''Continuum Fingerboard'') that permeates well in its rhythmic flows. This holy musical piece comes in traditional ''qawalli'' form with Javed Ali and Kailash Kher excelling out with another gem of wordings by wordsmith Prasoon Joshi. Despite its longer duration (8.42), there is an ambience of divinity in the air as sounds of harmonium, tabla and sitar collages well in its well synchronized rigorous claps. Rhythm-divine!!!

DELHI-6 turns to be another globe-trotter for A R Rahman and the album surely heads for another big victory at the stands. It maintains the high-standards of RANG DE BASANTI and scores better in terms of versatility and upbeat musical substance. Mohit Chauhan's ''Masakalli'' leads the show with sure-shot chartbuster while tracks like ''Arziyan'', ''Dil Mera Giraftan'', ''Rehna Tu'', ''Hey Kala Bandar'', ''Genda Phool'' and ''Delhi-6'' will be catching up fast with three listeners. After the global success of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, the celebrations continues for all ''Rahmaniacs'' with DELHI-6 and things look brighter as flick get set for its big D-Day in coming weekends.

Rating - 4/5

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