Music review of 'Life In A ... Metro'

Article Updated 18 April, 2007 01:31:00 AM IST

Music review of 'Life In A ... Metro'

After the super hit musical score of 'Gangster', Anurag Basu and Pritam team up once again for UTV Motion Pictures' 'Metro'. But this time Pritam is not alone. He is joined by his friends, and the group has been fondly christened "Band Metro". It is a musical super group featuring Pritam Chakraborty as the composer, Soham, Suhail and James as the vocalists and Eric Pillai as the mixing guru. The above mentioned band members need no introductions, as they all are names to reckon with in their respective fields. With so much talent brought together, expectations from this album soar. So without wasting any more time, let's check out the audio.

Soham Chakraborty's sharp, crystal clear vocals commence 'In Dino', a love track that has the capability of sweeping the die-hard romantics off their feet. This is not a typical mushy number, as it's slightly on the rock 'n' roll side. The background orchestration abounds with electric guitar, plates, drums and of course Niladri Kumar's finest invention the zitar, which is the electric sitar. Wonder why no other musician ever thought of this before! It lends an air of class to the composition. Syed Quadri, whose pen has spelled magic in many of Mahesh Bhatt movie albums, has done an excellent job as usual. His lyrics, in simple every day spoken Urdu-Hindi, make it easy for a commoner to relate to. There was absolutely no need to violate this beautiful love song, but keeping the youth factor in mind and how crucial they are to the success of an album (especially if it is as classy as this one), Bunty Rajput has succeeded with this motive in the other version, 'In Dino Revisited'.

Easily, the best track of the album is 'Alvida'. It has been rendered by two of the finest artists of our times, our very own K.K. and the singing sensation from Bangladesh, James. Pritam sure has picked the right people for this job. K.K., right from 'Tadap Tadap Ke' ('Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam') has showed that no one can surpass him when it comes to high pitched singing, and with 'Alvida' he proves it once again. The crescendo in the end, where he goes "Alvida, Alvida" is simply superb, and he sings like a seasoned rock-star.

'Alvida Reprise' is another treat that's in store for the lovers of hard rock but "Hindi style". The two versions are basically the same, with the only difference being how they have been rendered. K. K. is very musically correct and even in the crescendo his vocals never falter. Whereas James, like a true rock star, engulfs the listeners with his sheer energy. His vocals may falter at the high pitch, his diction may be bad (given that he can hardly speak Hindi properly), yet one simply falls in love with his singing. After enthralling us with 'Bheegi-Bheegi Si'('Gangster'), he is back once again to capture the hearts of music lovers.

Flute notes, bagpipes, soothing sitar, organ sounds and an absolutely delightful background chorus form a perfect backdrop for this lovely Adnan Sami love ballad 'Baatein Kuch Ankahee Si'. Adnan is loveable as always and has done full justice to the number. Credit must be given to Pritam as he chose just the right composition for Adnan, the sort with which his fans associate him with and love him for. Sandeep Shrivastava's lyrics are very typically filmy.

Organ sounds commence 'Kuch Baatein Ankahee Si' (unplugged), Suhail's sweet, youthful vocals come out loud and clear, as there's minimal musical arrangement in the background. There is just a hint of guitar and dominating organ sounds in between. Suhail's rendition is near perfect, he just needs to improve his diction.

After penning some run-of-the mill lyrics for the previous number, Sandeep Srivastava redeems himself in 'O Meri Jaan', which could have easily fallen in the average bracket had it not been for some beautiful, and at times humorous lyrics - "Dil khudgarz hai, phisla hai phir ye haath se, kal uska raha, ab hai tera is raat se, o meri jaan."

Both versions, the one sung by K.K and the other, 'O Meri Jaan Reprise' by Suhail, have been beautifully rendered. The climax, where this soft love song takes the form of hard rock is praiseworthy. The chorus in the background also lends an air of romance to this love ballad.

For those who wanted more of James, especially after the mind blasting 'Alvida', he is up next with 'Rishtey', a philosophical, thought provoking situational track. With 'Rishtey' we get to hear a completely new style of singing by James and we are pleasantly surprised. His crooning, where he goes "Na, na, na," is infectious and so is the female back-up vocals (either Caralisa or Suzanne).

Former M.T.V. VJ, DJ Nikhil Chinappa and DJ Naved certainly deserve all the praise that they can get for 'Rishtey Revisited', as the original was flat and bland.

The album comes to a close with 'Kar Salaam', which is quite a unique number, as it mixes hard rock fusion with Maharashtra folk. The tune in the 'mukhda' is slightly 'tapori', though the language is not. The highlight is the repeated 'Kar Salaam' in hard rock style and all the three singers namely Pritam, Suhail and Soham have given their hearts and souls to the composition.

To sum up, we will quote what the makers have claimed - "Like fine wine, the music of 'Metro' is a treat, promising to leave a memorable lasting impression on the true music lovers." And it is a promise that has been more than fulfilled!

The 'Metro' audio has had an a excellent response by way of across-the-counter sales, as well as audience response and is giving Yash Raj's 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' a run for its money. It is also threatening to dislodge the top seller 'Namastey London' and deservedly!

Rating : 8.5/10

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