Pages

January 7, 2010

My Name Is Khan: Music Review




Music Directors: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonca; 
Lyricist: Niranjan Iyengar; 
Singers: Rashid Khan, Adnan Sami, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal, Suraj Jagan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Richa Sharma and Shafqat Amanat Ali; 
Rating: /photo.cms?msid=5419337


The soundtrack of the latest offering of Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan, " My Name Is Khan ", boasts of Sufi flavour. Composed by Johar's favourite Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the album has six originals and most of the compositions are soul-stirring. 

The album starts with " Sajda ". Sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma, it's a Sufi number that tugs at one's heartstrings. The sounds of tablas and dholaks keep the listener hooked. With great voices behind the mike, "Sajda" is a must hear. 

Next is " Noor-e-khuda ", an unplugged version sung by Adnan Sami, Shreya Ghoshal and Shankar. It's a soft, pleasing love ballad that instantly strikes a chord. Most part of the song is male- dominated, but it gets an edge when Shreya enters with her honey-tucked voice close to the end of the track. 

Shafqat Amanat Ali renders " Tere naina " brilliantly. The subtle orchestration and melody make for an interesting hear. It changes gear mid-way when it slips into the qawwali mode which elevates it further. 

Up next is " Allah hi rahem " - again a Sufi number. Crooned by Rashid Ali, it is enchanting. The lyrics are simple yet profound and the song transports you to a completely different world. One of the best songs of the album. 

Then there is " Rang de " by Shankar with ample support from Suraj Jagan. The song with influences of rock is nice and refreshing. It talks about peace, triumph and joy. 

The album also has a " My Name Is Khan " theme song by Pakistani band Strings. It is an intriguing piece. 

On the whole, every song in the album is above average. The composers have stuck to the theme of the film and the soundtrack has the potential to rock the charts.

6 comments:

Pardesi said...

Thanks! I am still listening to the songs - takes a while to absorb the lyrics.

Caulfield said...

I listened to MNIK tracks just after listening to Ishqiya. And Ishqiya wins easily. Sajda and Noor-e-Khuda are fabulous though.

Pardesi said...

Agree - Ishqiya songs are something else. Gulzar can get you drunk on words. Dl to Bachcha hai jee!

Anonymous said...

Noor E Khuda is terrific, best of the lot. But Ishqiya is of course in a different league.The lyrics of Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji is enough to give me an orgasm literally. :)

Pardesi said...

http://www.desihits.com/news/view/music-review-my-name-is-khan-20100106
Most of Shahrukh Khan's films have been known for giving chartbusting numbers, but don't expect this soundtrack to come out with any dance tunes. Director Karan Johar has said that "My Name is Khan" will have background music but no songs to dance to.
The tracks however give a powerful message on life and love. The music was composed by musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. So let's see if the music stands out...
What We Think:
The soundtrack consists of six tracks. The first song "Sajda" is a powerful number with a powerful start by Risha Sharma, followed by the Sufi voice of the great Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. So, expect this one to top the charts. Next up is "Noor E Khuda," an uplifting song calling out to the All Mighty with Shreya Goshal reaching out with her voice along with Adnan Sami and Shankar Mahadevan giving it a little Western flavor.
Shafqat Amanat Ali returns to the Karan Johar brand with "Tere Naina." The track reminds us of "Mitwa" from KANK with the qawalli feel, but it is still a great listen. "Allah Hi Raham" is not as powerful as "Noor E Khuda" but singer Rashid Khan chants in this occasional number.
"Rang De Aman Se Aasmaan" takes the musical trio back to the rock genre with Suraj Jagan sending a powerful message. Pakistani band Strings also makes a comeback with the theme music to "My Name is Khan," with an orchestra setting that sets the movie right in its place.
Best Songs:
Sajda
Noor E Khuda
Tere Naina
Our Verdict:
It looks like Karan Johar kept his promise that there would be no dance numbers in his film. These songs should stay in the background, but expect the soundtrack to stand on its own.
Rating: 3.5/5

Pardesi said...

http://www.planetradiocity.com/musicreporter/review.php?reviewid=416
A Commendable Album
R Richard Mahesh, Sampurn Media

My Name is Khan
Artist: Rashid Khan, Adnan Sami, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal, Suraj Jaggan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Richa Sharma and Shafqat Amanat Ali
Music Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyricist: Niranjan Iyengar
Label: Sony Music
Genre: Bollywood

Review:
Apart from the Karan-SRK-Kajol factor, what makes My Name is Khan so special was the sudden flight of the filmmaker’s motive towards pragmatic panoramas. Well, the film will have a splendid splash of colourful ambience, enlivening the feeling that is usually prevalent in Karan Johar’s films. With the musical part, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have come up with certain commendable tunes, while some songs seem to be a repetition of their previous compositions.

A ravishing blend of mellifluous music and resplendent voices gets us hooked to ‘Sajdaa’ from the first hearing. It starts on bright note with Richa Sharma’s high intonated rendition with substantive stringed chords on accompaniment. We tend to the literal change in rhythmic paradigms for next five minutes. Both Rahat and Richa score out well with their voices sustained on right momentums while Shankar’s vocalism for the chorus is fine. The touching lyrics by Niranjan Iyengar further add to the song’s appeal.

‘Noor E Khuda’ is an appealing tune indeed. The right combination of Adnan Sami and Shreya Ghosal highlights the lyrical prominence. The same instrumentals that you heard over the first song have been completely utilised for ‘Tere Naina’ and the rhythmic style seems to be slightly similar as well. Shafqat could have modulated his voice while shifting towards higher octaves. This could have actually plied more buoyancy for the lyrical aspects.

‘Allah Hi Reham’ is a mediocre song as it offers a feel of déjà vu as it carries the same old traits of already-heard qawwali ragas. Rashid Khan keeps his voice on a lower octave and the chorus parts are quite loud, scattering away one’s attention. Why does this trio keep replicating the same instruments like tabla with a hackneyed style is anybody’s guess. Such melodies can be delivered merely with single chorded strings and chimes alone. Perhaps the right visuals could turn the spotlight on this song as there aren’t any catchy quotients on acoustic vistas.

‘Khan Theme’ (Strings performed by The Bombay Film Orchestra) is brilliantly done. For the next 165 seconds, you have the perfect picture of the film’s theme on man’s quest rolling into your senses. A wonderful coordination of strings, violin and orchestral percussions adds right the feel to the song. The music is more off a rarified quality as it speaks a lot on emotional quotients.

It doesn’t require music wizardry to recollect the clichéd rhythms played on metal guitars and live drums. Obviously, the beats of ‘Rang De’ are the same as ‘Sindabad the Sailor’ while Shankar Mahadevan starts on the same note of a Wake Up Sid song. The verses have some catchy lines while Shankar Mahadevan’s rendition of Carnatic notes over the interlude faintly resembles ‘Mitwa’ (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna). Naturally, it sounds to be a partial medley of the musicians’ previous compositions.

On the whole, My Name Is Khan has a mix of reveling and fair to middling tunes. If the trio had opted for more instrumentations and avoided some repetitions, it would have been really colossal. This album is worth buying as it offers you additional bonanzas of SRK-KJo’s previous hits, along with the trailer of this film.

Post a Comment