Review of Jaane Tu....ya jaane na Songs

First things first... Yet another amazing album by the musical genius AR Rahman! Easily the best of 2008 till date. Only album after Taare Zameen Par that i feel like listening in the repeat mode! The credit must also go to Aamir Khan for picking the right music directors for both films (rumor goes that Himesh was to compose for JTYJN).

Before going to the reviews of each song, I would like to make a couple of general comments on the album itself. It has 8 songs, packaged along with a remix. One cannot tell that it is the same music director when comparing this album to his last release (Jodha Akbar). The general tune of the album is modern, with lot of experimentation done. Some songs really catch you off guard the first time you hear because of their completely new style of composition. Apart from Sukhwinder Singh, all the other vocal leads are either completely new or relatively new(unheard). This is not the first time that ARR is introducing new talent, but 14 new comers in the same album was a bold and risky move, but fortunately for him, and luckily for us it pays off big time. Its great to hear refreshing voices (bored of same Sonu and Shreya duets - although both are amazing singers).

First up we have to smooth, yet foot tapping Kabhi Kabhi Aditi. This song catches the attention right at the very beginning with its catchy acoustic guitar and low-down beats. This lyrics is pretty good as well. But the main attraction about this song is the introduction of Rashid Ali. He brings around the freshness in the song and makes an awesome debut, and gives a song which will be in the Top 10 list of 2008. Definitely a singer to lookout for in the future.

Anupama, Benny Dayal, Blazee, Tanvi, Darshana, Satish Subramanium and Aslam come together to sing a peppy number Pappu can't dance. Another set of non-famous singers, who sing about a rich boy called 'pappu' who can't dance. The lyrics of this song is quite disappointing. Although the video song make a nice appeal, it is easily the worst song of the album. The song also comes with a remix version which is slightly better than the original (only because of the better use beats).

Then comes the male and female version of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. The female version is titled Aditi(female protagonist) and the male version Jai(male protagonist). These two compositions are mind blowing. These songs might cater to a particular brand of listeners (like me ;) ) who love sombre theme. The female version is more modern in the use of instruments. New comer Runa Rizvi renders the vocals to the more upbeat version of the two. While Sukhwinder lends the vocals to the male version, which uses more traditional Indian instruments for both the strings as well as percussion.

Nazrein Milaana Nazrein Churanaa gets the mood of the album back to funky and hip hop, which the entire album tries to portray. This will be an instant hit with the "youth". It has the typical guitar strumming throught out the song(ARR might have been inspired by the Eagles music here)

The album becomes even better with the title track of the movie. Surprisingly it is titled Tu Bole Main Boloon! The tune is exquisitely composed with the use of typical classical jazz instruments including the trumpet. The lyrics is also excellent, and again appealing to the youth due to its playful tone. This song is crooned by the master himself. Even after all these years, and all the soul music he is now famous for, he eases into this song, and gives us the best song the the album. Kudos Rahman!

The final track of the album is a beautiful melody Kahin To Hogi Ho! It is so simple, yet so elegant, that you will be at a loss of words to describe the elegance of the song. The song, thanks to the lyrics is so touching that it makes one get goose bumps. It is definitely a song for all seasons. Yet again, Rashid Ali proves his worth, and is a wonderful prospect to forward to. Vasundhara Das provides some support in the middle.

All in all, it will have atleast 3-4 songs in the Top 10 list of the year, and lot of deserving awards for Rahman. He just keeps getting better and better.