Song by Song: Sapnon se Bhare Naina (Luck By Chance)

Bagiya bagiya baalak bhaage
Titli phir bhi haath na laage
Iss pagle ko kaun bataye
Dhoond raha hai jo tu jag mein
Koi jo paaye to mann mein hi paaye...

With the very opening lines, Sapnon se Bhare Naina makes it clear that it's going to be a wonderful experience to listen to the song. Shankar Mahadevan sings this song beautifully, as he always does, but my Kudos to Javed Akhtar first for writing a song with great depths.

Sapnon se Bhare Naina starts slow but keeps on changing its pace to faster modes and overall, doesn't sound like a slow song at all. Shankar sings in slow voices, fast speeds, high pitches, alaaps, almost every way that could be accommodated well in the song and makes it very lively.

As far as lyrics are concerned, it's one of the best songs I've heard in past sometime. The song tells how one who is ambitious cannot become content. And though, it might sound a bit out of place in today's fast moving world, the song bears a lot of truth according to me. As mod to aaye, chhaanv na aaye shows the truth of many lives today. 

The lines I liked the best in the song are the ones where the song says that getting desired comforts and being content are two different things, though the difference is generally ignored. The lines go as follows.

Jaise ki din se rain alag hain
Sukh hain alag aur chain alag hain
Par jo ye dekhen wo nain alag hain
Chain to hai apna, sukh hain paraye..

In short, I loved the song. Just get it and try to appreciate the song. I guess you would love it too.

Musical notes: Luck By Chance

Farhan Akhtar surely has a huge fan following just after one movie. So was the case after his directorial debut, Dil Chahta hai, too. Good news for Farhan's fans was that his next movie Luck by Chace. Now, the bad one is that the guy doesn't get to sing a single song in the movie. :(

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are the experimenting guys again as they have always been. And though, the results of CC2C music are still awaited (not up to the S-E-L standards I guess), their next, Luck By Chance generates new hopes with the credits of singers itself.

There is Shankar Mahadevan singing a lot. Two songs, Sapnon se bhare naina, and O rahi re are sung by Shankar alone. And there is a lot more new. The album has 6 songs and a remix. Out of six, three songs bear Shankar's name. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy also give a chance to the Indian Idol runner-up Amit Paul who has sung a song Pyaar ki Daastan with Mahalaxmi Iyer.

And then, another surprise is that for the first time, two songs bear the name of Loy Mendonsa as he does a song 'Baawre' with Shankar and another, 'Yeh Zindagi Bhi' with Shekhar. Yes, Shekhar, who hardly ever gave more than background vocals until Bachna ae Haseeno, has been called up by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to sing a song, taking the collaboration between the composer duo and trio (Vishal-Shekhar and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) a step further.

One song, Yeh aaj kya ho gaya is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan as a solo which is a small number of almost 3 and half minutes.

In short, Luck By Chance looks like a promising album, and I hope we'll find some long lasting songs by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Javed Akhtar.

Song by Song: Bandaa Re (Raaz - The Mystery Continues)

Will 'Raaz - The mystery continues', that is, Raaz 2 in short, be a hit as the original one or not is yet to be seen. But there is one important area where Raaz 2 scores almost as much as Raaz did. And that is it's music. Raaz 2 has total eight tracks with five original songs and three remixes. Maahi, Soniyo, Kaisa ye raaz hai and O jaana, which I've already reviewed, make a great album but now comes the song that makes it different from other albums, that is, the mystery/thriller element of the album, Bandaa re.

Original Raaz had a great soundtrack but the 'different' element, Yahan pe sab shanti shanti hai, wasn't something very good. Here, Bandaa re scores much above Shanti-Shanti and actually gives some feeling of a thriller.

Bandaa re is Gaurav Dasgupta's only composition for the movie and is sung by Krishna. The song is basically a typical horror/thriller background song, something like the saam-daam-dand-bhed of Sarkaar which runs in background when Abhishek takes his revenge, but this one has been made well enough to be listened in general too.

The song starts with the 'sambhavami yuge yuge' shloka from Mahabharata in some distant sounding voices, something that makes up a favorable ambience for the song. The lyrics of the song are quite good from the start itself. In the song, God is supposed to be talking to a devotee saying He stays with the devotee only and he need not search for Him anywhere outside himself. See the starting lines of the song.

Moko kahan dhoondhe re bande, main to tere pass mein,
Na teerath mein, na moorat mein, na ekaant nivaas mein,
Na mandir mein na masjid mein, na kaabe kailash mein,
Main to tere paas mein bande, main to tere paas mein..

Though the song is neither expected to be a hit, nor has some superb music, yet I quite liked the song just for the lyrics.

Song by Song: Chhayi Madhoshiyaan (Jumbo)

Ram Sampath is back. With animation flick Jumbo, he's again there and you realize it as soon as you listen to Chhayi Madhoshiyaan. Sung by Sonu Nigam and Ram's wife Sona, Chhayi Madhoshiyaan instantly reminds one of Waada Raha and Yoonhi hum tumse pyaar karte rahe, the two melodies from Khakee, from the very initial music.

Sonu Nigam is once again in his old soft romantic mood as he sings 'Chhayi Madhoshiyaan, dil dhadakne laga hai, pyaar ka silsila ye kahan le chala hai, lagti hai pyaari, kyon bekarari, jaanun na'. As far as Sona is concerned, soft romantic is not the best thing she does as her voice is more suited to ballads and high pitched songs, still she sounds fine and makes me wonder again why she doesn't sing more.

Ram Sampath has once again used flute to start the song. In fact the entire music of the song somewhat gives the feeling of Waada Raha but the song still sounds quite good and fresh. Lyrics of Israr Ansari are usual. In the end, composer has even tried a higher pitch for vocals and music.

Overall, the song is a good soft romantic number that one might like. No guarantee though.

Song by Song: O Jaana (Raaz - The mystery continues)

He sings. You see the song on TV. You think it's OK. You listen to it again. You find it good. You listen to it again. You love it. You listen to it, and keep on listening.

It's the same process that takes place with every song sung by KK, picturised on Emraan Hashmi, be it Gangster, Jannat, or the new Raaz.

O jaana is a song of the same category. You'll find it good when you listen to it for the first time. And as you listen to it again and again, you'll be liking the song more and more. O jaana, a composition of Raju Singh, belongs to the same genre as Mere Falak ka Tu Hi Sitara (Showbiz). The music is absolutely wonderful and KK is again in his typical style. The song is basically a love song but the music of the song dominates the lyrics.

There is also a remix of the song with some added vocals which don't add up much to the song. Probably because there is not much scope of additions to the original version. Just that the speed increases, but then, this version might be popular on dance floors.

In short, O jaana is a lovable, fast song which is almost all set to be a hit. Just grab it.

Song by Song: Chak Lein De (CC2C)

Kailash Kher is not a singer of just slow or Sufi songs. He can do much more when given a chance. In Chak Lein De, Kailash goes fast this time as he sings his own composition.

Chak Lein De is a typical 'Veer Ras' song that goes all the way saying 'hai nahi teer-talwaar, nahi goli, tu khud hai teri fauj tu hi toli', 'teri gurrahat singh ki dahar hai' and 'dikha jalwa' mode. The song has quite fast music right from the start and goes all the way through the song with the same speed, so being a bit monotonous too.

Towards the end of the song there are just the one line 'aaj phatte chak lein de' repeated again and again which makes quite sure that the song is going to be played in the background with some action scene or something like that. Though it was already quite clear with the lyrics of the song.

Overall, Chak lein de is a good song and most probably will be liked by people in short term though I doubt if it will work in the long term even with Kailash Kher. Hip hop lovers may like the song, but the real outcome will be seen once the video/movie is out.

Pop Up: Rain bhai Kaari (Humsafar)

KK proved himself with his debut album Pal. He has also been consistently getting good songs since then, and has a huge number of hits to his credit now. In such a scenario, the guy can surely do some experimenting with his private album. So he does it, and some results, though not popular, are very good.

Rain Bhai Kaari Kaari, Din Ujiyaara,
Naiyya to dekhe nadiya ki dhaara,
Haath tore maajhi, zindagi ki nayya...

These lines don't match very much, not at least with the hits of KK like Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai, tu hi meri shab hai, or Zara sa, but then, KK is well known for his versatality.

Rain Bhai Kaari Kaari starts with KK rendering the above lines slowly, without music, slowly catching speed in further lines. And then, chorus and more music follow as the song turns into something rock-ish, only to come back to slow-motion for two lines and go high again. This keeps on going, making a great song (at least I felt so) and proving yet another aspect of KK, as a music composer.

Towards the end, KK again finds himself ending in a rock-ish mode and then comes back to the first lines and the same slow mode.

Overall, the songs has a lot of fluctuations between super-slows and highs which was quite unique in itself. I have always liked the song and if you like experiments with music, I guess you may also like it.

Song by Song: Jalte Hain (Sorry Bhai!)

Onir's movies might find viewers or not. They may be loved by critics or disappoint them. But whatever the case, music is something which is consistently good in his movies. Sorry Bhai is no exception, even though it's once again by a new composer, Gaurav Dayal.

The song Jalte hain comes in two versions and a remix. The two non-remixed versions are sung by Abhishek Nailwal and KK and both are absolutely superb.

Jalte hain is a slow song with constant beats providing light music for the song. The first version, sung by Abhishek Nailwal completely focuses on his voice and the guy has sung it really well. The mood of the song is sad but not mournful.

The second version, sung by KK, of course sounds more familiar from the very start as KK comes behind the microphone. And though both versions are good in their own place, KK version scores higher in first look. Though, KK version having slightly more instruments, chorus and all can make you turn to simpler first version in the long run.

But above all, Jalte hain is a good composition with a soothing touch to its music. Whichever version you listen to, you will find that soothing touch present there. So, if you are in search of some slow, soft, soothing, there are good chances you like Jalte hain. Otherwise too, just try it. A good composition is always a treat.

Song by Song: Muskura (Dasvidaniyaan)

After staying distant from playback singing for quite sometime, Sonu Nigam is back. And with a bang. No, not a bang exactly, as he's not singing those bang-bang type of songs now. But it's much more substantial. Muskura, or Awara Raahi Gumshuda, of Dasvidaniyaan is one such song.

The song is a slow number with music of old times. And even instruments. And it's Sonu Nigam who can sing in any style, so with the background music of Raj Kapoor style, and even lyrics of that mood, the song is completely out of it's time. Which is the USP of the song.

Sonu Nigam is the second most important part of the song, after its style and music. He sings the song really wonderfully. Also, after a long time he seems to be in a 'mood'. Not that other songs he sang recently were bad or something, but this time Sonu has left his signature in the song while singing. Kailash Kher as a composer has probably given full liberty to Sonu and the result is, no doubt, great.

Last, but not the least at all, credit goes to the lyricist (who happens to be Kailash Kher again) for writing such beautiful, and more than that, true lines.

Aawara raahi gumshuda,
Ban ke kyun ghoome laapata,
muskura, mere dil,
Le zindagi ka mazaa..

Listen to this one if you don't hate old songs.

Song by song: kaisa ye raaz hai (raaz - the mystery continues)

KK is undoubtedly the king of soft rock today. And when it comes to emraan hashmi movies, it goes without saying that a KK song is made to be a hit. Now that the song is the title of raaz-the mystery continues, i only can tell u what type the song is. More than that is hardly required. And so, here is my little review of the song.

Well, kaisa ye raaz hai is a typical soft rock that is generally found in Emraan hashmi movies. The song has music composed by a newcomer pranay and the singing job is well done by KK. Kaisa ye raaz is a slow song and hence may take a few listenings before you get addicted to the song. But there is no doubt that today or after one month, you'll be loving this song and probably humming it somewhere. Though, one question which still remains is how KK and Emraan hashmi always give us such great songs.

Kaisa ye raaz hai..
Jo ki khulta nahi..

Song by Song: Soniyo (Raaz, the mystery continues)

Emraan Hashmi's movies are known for their great music; generally, typically, fast music for quite some time. But this time there are a few variations probably because we do not have Pritam composing, unlike previous movies.

Maahi, the super song of the movie is of course an instant hit and I don't think I need to write anything about that. The next is Soniyo, composed by Raju Singh and sung by Sonu Nigam with Shreya and Neeraj Shridhar in one version and sung by Krishna alone in the other version.

As far as music is concerned, there is not much new or experimental to the song which, in itself, is a new thing since everyone is trying something new. It's a simple song with most part sung by Sonu Nigam and a para sung by Shreya Ghoshal. The added English lyrics sung by Neeraj Shridhar are fine, though I don't think they add much to the song.

Sonu Nigam has sung the song quite beautifully, as usual. Shreya is good as always with her few lines. Overall, the lack of newness is not felt much and after listening to the song for a few times, probably on the TV, one is very likely to love the song.

The other version of the song, called 'from the heart', is sung by Krishna, the guy who has been known for singing Main Jahan Rahoon with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan along with many other songs. Krishna also gives a special touch to the song which is found in Rahat's songs. There are no English lyrics, and even no female voices, but you get to listen Aalaps in Krishna's own voice in the background in some places, making the song a good feeling, and a completely different one from the one sung by Sonu. In fact, I even feel that in the long run, Krishna version might surpass Sonu version on the grounds of the simplicity of the former.

In any case, Soniyo is a good, simple song which suits the high reputation of Emraan Hashmi, that is, in terms of his films' music. :)

Song by Song: Chandni Chowk to China (CC2C)

Somebody has rightly said, one should never judge a song by it's promo. Because there can be a Jhol inside that which you won't get in the song. Well, if you're not getting anything, don't get confused because it's almost the same when you listen to 'Chandni Chowk to China' title song for the first time.

The title song of CC2C, sung by Neeraj Shridhar, Shankar Mahadevan and Anushka Manchanda is, to say the least, an interesting song. The song has a some good music, some strange and beautiful voices, and some tongue-twisting lyrics, though not much like Chandu ke Chacha and all.

If you want to know what type the song is, we can say that it's somewhat like 'Ticket to Hollywood' in terms of music and ambiance. The song is not a typical Mukhda-Antara song and you may have a tough time finding where is Mukhda and where are the antaras.

Another interesting part of the song are the lyrics. I was back in school days when I found the subtle elements of poetry in the song. For example 'jaane kaun hoon samajh mein aai-na' and 'dekha kabhi hai tune aaina' have two different meanings of aai-na. Also, lines like 'Chhori ne jo chheda hai chhora' and 'jhol hai saara jhol hai ye pyaare' make overall lyrics interesting.

As far as singing is concerned, Shankar is an old gem and Neeraj too has always been good. Anushka has sung quite well.

Thus, the overall song has become worth listening. But the most interesting part of the song is probably its video which adds to the taste. In fact, it's a song which you'll most probably like only after seeing it.

Song by song: Tere naina (CC2C)

Shankar-ehsaan-loy. When they give music to jhoom barabar jhoom, u dance on their tunes, when it's rock on, u bang ur heads on their music, and now when it's Chandni chowk to China, the music is at least as chinese as noodles.

Though shankar himself doesn't sound anything like chinese or something, the part sung by shreya ghoshal gives an altogether new feeling that seems to be quite chinese. She's sung her lines in an amazing fast mode that gets all the chinese feeling. For which, both, composers and singers deserve appreciation.

Leaving aside the chinese feeling of the song too, tere naina is a really good song with some great music which is a mixture of slow and fast. In fact, it's quite an interesting song as it has slow and fast pace, indian as well as chinese flavor, and traditionalism along with newness. And though it's a bit difficult to predict, i feel that the song will turn a good one in the long run also.

For now, listen to it and enjoy the noodles.

Song by song: SIDHU (CC2C)

Kailash kher comes in a new flavor this time. You've heard him in a lot of sufi songs and a few love songs. But this time mr kher is singing a song that can be described almost as a comedy song.

The interesting thing is that Kailash sings the song with his usual style and his seriousness gives the song a completely different touch of comedy.

The song is a slightly kavvali style one, to be more precise something like billo rani. That is, in terms of the style of music. The song basically introduces akshay kumar, sidhu of chandni chowk, in a manner that u might find somewhat similar to Happy Singh of Singh is Kinng, though it's not all that way as sidhu also gets praise later in the song.

The music of the song, given most probably by kailash kher himself is great. Use of traditional Indian instruments like dholak, and once again, harmonium is wonderful.

Overall, the song is quite lovable and hopefully going to be a hit.

Pop-Up: Door Kahin (Nine)

Hi. This is my first Pop-Up. Here I'll try to tell you about pop songs which are generally lost in the crowd of big names, trying to get you the songs you might have missed. Just try them.

The song I'm going to talk about today is 'Door Kahin..' from Pankaj Awasthi's album 'Nine'. Pankaj Awasthi, though unknown to most, is a good singer and composer. Pankaj gave the music for the movie Anwar with Mithoon and is now composing for Tera Kya Hoga Johnny. He even sings for other composers sometimes.

The song 'Door kahin..' starts with some street sounds and from within the voices, Pankaj starts rendering slowly, 'Door kahin le chalo tum mujhko, nahin chahiye ye duniya, sath le chalo unko haan unko, wo jo samjhen dooriyaan haan dooriyaan', and while starting on a low note, he enters quite high pitch in the first few lines itself.

Though the music of the song is simple and without much humdrum, the singing has done it's work really well and you can feel the song deep inside. The song is a bit experimental, especially with a few lines changing their places in paragraphs, but I still suppose that most listeners of not-so-experimental music will also like it.

In short, if you crave for more music, it's a must try song and if you like this one, keep seeing this space.

Song by Song: Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gayi (Ghajini)

Of all the songs of Ghajini, Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gayi is the slowest. In fact for the first time when you listen to the song, even if you like it, the song may test your patience. But with the time, and with the video, the song does leave a solid impact on a listener.

Kaise mujhe tum mil gayi is sung by Benny Dayal, the guy who recently sang 'Tu hi tu meri dost hai', the most popular song of Yuvvraaj, along with Shreya Ghoshal. Benny once again comes up wonderfully and sings the song to perfection.

The song is a romantic number which is probably there after the death of Kalpana in the movie. The song reminds me of Tanhaai, especially after seeing Aamir in the mourning mode.

The song starting with low beats and oo.. oo... vocals of Benny Dayal goes pretty high on notes (something that will make it singers' favorite, a tough number). Especially in the lines, 'main to ye sochta tha ke aajkal ooparwale ko fursat nahi..', he goes really high in certain words and then comes back, giving the song a really different feel. Shreya has mostly sung in the slow, soft parts of the song and is good as ever.

Lyrics of the song are quite good, making everything about the song good. I hope that the song will take time to get its space, but will prove a great number in long run.

Song by Song: Aye Bachchu (Ghajini)

AR Rehman is not good just because he makes great music. He is great because he knows the who-why-how and everything of the music he makes. That's the reason you find so many new singers singing songs which feel like made for them. Aye Bachchu is one such song.

Aye Bachchu, a playful western style song that is picturised the only way it could be, as a solo dance (with background people dancing of course) is something you might love very soon. The song is quite fast paced and has numerous intruments backing the voice of Suzanne D'Mello, better known as Suzie Q.

The song's main feature is not just the music of Rehman but also the voice of Suzanne, who has sung the song really well as her voice modulates freely between the lower and higher notes of the song. Also, there are some variations added in the same lines when they come in the start and the end which add to variety in the song. Lines 'Mastiyon ki Kashti Kholo, Kinaron ko Bye Bye bolo, aao na hawaon sang dolo..' are well-written (courtesy Prasoon Joshi) and well-sung pieces which surely attract the listener's attention.

Rehman has tried to give a lot in the less than 4 minutes' song and I hope it will not only be liked by the people but also give a better identity to Suzanne D'Mello who has been mostly singing song with others yet.