Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Train - Hindi Audio - Music Review

This album is special and reasons are aplenty.

First and foremost The Train marks the debut of Mithoon as a sole composer for an entire album. Before this soundtrack, the young lad has been coming up with consistently good results for his rearranged tracks 'Woh Lamhe' [Zeher] and 'Aadat' [Kalyug] , a superhit 'Tere Bin' [Bas Ek Pal] followed by equally popular tracks in 'Anwar' ['Maula Mere', 'Javeda Zindagi'] .

Secondly, the lyrics of the album are written by Sayeed Quadri, the man who has been fast forming an association with Mithoon for majority of his compositions. Identified with quality lyrics, his work has been speaking for itself, especially during last couple of years.

Thirdly, the film stars Emraan Hashmi in the lead. Emraan and popular songs go hand-in-hand.

Last but not the least, the film is produced by Shyam and Narendra Bajaj who have been producing medium budget, but successful films, for around a decade. Their last release 'Aksar' [starring Hashmi] was a musical hit.

With so many factors indicating a good musical outing, one expects nothing but superior quality of music. Well, get ready to hear an album that boasts of a very good soundtrack!

Now this has to be a really unique combination, and a good one. Not just it is surprising to see the return of Shilpa Rao behind the mike, her 'Javeda Zindagi' [Anwar] continues to haunt forever. Mithoon too can't resist the temptation of coming behind the mike and doesn't he more than justify his decision? Coming across so very convincing as the voice of Emraan Hashmi in 'Woh Ajnabee', he does quite well with his boyish charm truly reflected in his voice.

A fresh tune in the offering, the song belongs to Shilpa even more than Mithoon as she amazes with her hold while singing a dance floor song with as much comfort as the semi-classical 'Javeda Zindagi'. Add to that the arrangements which make this Indian/Western fusion track sound better on repeat hearing. As a composer, Mithoon brings a new sound yet again as he brings Indian melody with western arrangements.

That is exactly the reason why one takes time to relate to the tune before it starts sinking in after you have given it the number of hearings it truly deserves. By the time you have heard the original track around 5-6 times, you are completely hooked on to the music. Don't blame the composer if you find yourself humming the track all the way to your workplace!

The man of all seasons, who else but K.K, is roped in for just the right kind of song that he deserves. 'Beete Lamhein' begin with a slow built-up through faint sound of instruments [mainly guitar] and by the time K.K. is ready to croon 'Dard Mein Bhi Ye Lab Muskura Jaate Hain, Beete Lamhein Hamein Jab Bhi Yaad Aate Hain', you know that this is going to be one entertaining album with variety galore.

If you have liked the rock ballads of 'Metro', you would love 'Beete Lamhein' for sure as it adds on to the genre that is fast picking up in Bollywood. A song about remembering the love that once used to be and the beautiful moments.

Mithoon's third track 'Mausam', he brings as many as three versions - 'Original', 'Club Mix - by Akbar Sami' and 'Progressive Mix'. Starting with the original, it basically continues the mood of 'Beetein Lamhein' and it almost seems as if the K.K. rendered track had never ended. A track about a man who is extremely sad about the way his life has treated him over the years and is hardly finding a way out of his misery, it is entertaining nevertheless despite his theme.

If you have been a fan of 'Aadat' [Kalyug] and 'Woh Lamhe' [Zeher], you would grab 'Mausam' with both hands. Mithoon surprises yet again as singer because after showcasing a boyish charm in 'Woh Ajnabee', he shows his range as he lends his vocals for a character who is down and out and probably even a little drunk!

After a dance floor number 'Woh Ajnabee', gear up for the track belonging to the same genre - 'Teri Tamanna'. Composer Mithoon proves yet again that for creating a dance floor number, it is not necessary that the pace of rendition too should be super-paced. Even with the K.K and Zubeen singing at a moderate pace, the song creates a mood of seduction amidst moments of intimacy.

Unlike 'Woh Ajnabee' that took its own time to come on your lips, 'Teri Tamanna' is an instant winner. 'Teri Tamanna' too arrives in two more versions - 'Club Mix' and 'Euro Mix' - and as expected the results are entertaining once again. The 'Club Mix' lives up to its name whereas 'Euro Mix' has something about it which makes it a haunting hear.

Lyrics like 'Zindagi Train Hai Waqt Ke Track Pe' is followed by the sound of a train arriving from a distance further followed by the drum beats. After almost a minute, things settle down and Shaan returns to crooning. With zero-disturbance mood helping its cause, it is a good hear though not the kind that makes for a chartbuster.

A philosophical track about life and the way it changes track while leading you to unplanned destinations, 'The Train - An Inspiration' is at maximum a situational track and should be making an appearance at multiple places in the film's narrative.

Mithoon and Sayeed Quadri do it well yet again to create an album that is up market with a universal appeal. Emraan Hashmi can comfortably add the album to his ever growing list of popular albums with this time around the USP being a 'consistent mood' of the album! There may be multiple tracks in The Train but they all contribute to the feel of the film's theme. The transition from one song to another is almost seamless which makes The Train a complete album to hear.

My pick of the album is "mausum" just because mithoons voice is "awesome" and it takes us to a new world !

Recommendation - CD

PUNCHLINE : TRAIN - superfast !

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