Rockstar: Music Review

I must say this right off – A. R. Rahman has really created a masterpiece with Rockstar. The passion, the feel, the musical essence – they are all there perfectly. The other person to whom this album belongs is Mohit Chauhan. He’s really hit his stride with this album that covers different kinds of songs and gives him range and the ability to play around. His voice has been used for all songs for singing for Ranbir Kapoor, and I count this as a huge plus point. Irshad Kamil has penned the lyrics, and they also lift the songs to a different level.

We start off with the gorgeous Phir Se Ud Chala – starting off with simple music and a chorus playing in the background, and then Mohit’s voice that comes to the fore. You can literally feel the music picking up in the background as if it’s a slow morning waking up. “Itne saare sapne, kya kahoon, kis tarah se maine tode hain, chhode hain kyun… phir saath chale, mujhe leke ude yeh kyun…” asks Mohit. The electro-pop beats begin – “rang birange vehemon mein main udta phiroon…” The chorus fits in beautifully, uplifting, completing the song from where it began.

Jo Bhi Main is, I would say, a soft rock song, without precisely being rock. The audience sings “oh ya ya” back at Mohit, and you can imagine performing the song on stage (or maybe listening to it being performed on stage). I’d also say that the electric guitar in the background lends a cachet to the song – it is so understated that you barely hear it in parts, but it is what makes the song what it is. And then when it is brought to the fore in the interludes, it really shines. I loved the lyrics too – so simple, but so effective. “Maine yeh bhi socha hai aksar, tu bhi main bhi sabhi hain sheeshe, khud hi ko hum sabhi mein dekhe, nahi hoon main, hoon main toh phir bhi… sahi-galat tumhara-humara… mujhe paana, paana hai khud ko…”. I know a lot of people who think this really is the song of the album, with the soft music, perfect lyrics and general ‘rock’ feel. They wouldn’t be too far off – it’s definitely a must-listen.

Katiya Karun is a song I adored from the moment I heard “Ting-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling”. I think Imtiaz Ali loves his Punjabi folk songs – there is one in each of his films if you think about it. And Harshdeep Kaur sings this song so well, with such ease, that it is actually a real shock to you when you try singing it and realise how tough a song it actually is. Sapna Avasthi joins in for the interlude and does a really good job as is her wont. There is a dholak beat running through the song which is so catchy that I dare you to not tap your feet to the beats of the song when you listen to it. And when you think it’s so predictable how the song is going… there comes along that light music and the ending lines “kattan roon… main saari raat katiya katiya karoon…”. Applause for Harshdeep for excellent singing and for Rahman for such a simple appealing song.

The divinity of Rahman really stands out in the sufi numbers he composes, like Piya Haji Ali, Khwaja Mere Khawja and Arziyan. Kun Faaya Kun is no less – it actually almost ties with Khwaja as my favourite of his sufi songs.  Javed Ali joins Rahman in rendering the major portion of this song. Very beautifully written lyrics as well. The part that gives me real goosebumps though is the place just before the interlude comes in – “Sadaqallahul Aliul Azeem…”. There is mostly a simple harmonium and an Indian beat going on through most of the song. The guitar notes add to the song very well, and Mohit Chauhan chips in, presumably for Ranbir on screen, and sounds very good too. Javed Ali has sung really well, with his classical voice taking over for a number of the nuances. There is a Godliness to this song, which carries it to a completely different plane of understanding and feeling. “Sadaqalluhal Aliul Azeem… Sadaq Rasoolun Nabiul Kareem…”.

The first time I heard Sheher Mein, I was bemused. It’s obviously a situational song, with a music director chipping in from time to time, correcting the “sur” and “dhun”. Karthik and Mohit have such different styles and voices, and it is highlighted so beautifully. It’s a little hard to imagine a singer would improvise so much from the original, but I guess that’s the beauty of the song – that you are meant to imagine how modern or how different Mohit’s style and voice are from the others around. The music also sounds simplistic, but if you listen carefully, you can hear how many instruments are playing in the background along with the voices. The instrumentation for this piece was something I really appreciated. All in all, a break from the emotional roller coaster of the album.

I fell in love with Haawa Haawa also the minute I heard the prelude music. My album cover informs me it’s based upon a Czech folk legend “Sleepy John” about a queen who goes out dancing with the devil and wears out twelve pairs of shoes in a night, and Sleepy John who follows her and reports it back to the king. Interesting. The music is very foreign, with a Spanish guitar starting the song off. I can almost imagine Mohit enjoying singing this song – I love singing along. The song does not have a structured approach – it’s quite like a story telling. This is what Rahman really excels at – weaving together a song that has such diverse elements. The musical interlude in the middle is so brilliantly done. And then the scale change for the chorus (the chorus is completely in a European language too – I’m not sure which one though). You will find yourself going “pown pown pown” along with Mohit for sure! Amazing song and a complete must listen at all costs.

Aur Ho is the song that caught my fancy for the lyrics and the sheer pathos that drips off it. As with a lot of sad songs, this is one song I can listen to (and have listened to) multiple times on loop. Alma Ferovic, a Bosnian singer, begins the prelude with her soulful voice. Mohit then starts “Meri bebasi ka bayaan hai, bas chal raha na is ghadi…”… The beats hit as his voice hits a crescendo “Is lamhe kya kar doon main, jo mujhe chain mile aaram mile… Aur ho, aur ho, saans ka shor ho, aanch bhi aur badhe…”. Mohit has managed to capture the feel for the song very well indeed – many times when I hear the song I am almost brought to tears. Irshad Kamil’s lyrics are brilliant to say the least – there is a melancholy that settles upon you when you listen to the song, which is probably exactly the effect wanted. The end especially – “roke se na ruke, yeh na thake, aandhi si jo chale in saanson ki… pata bhi na chale, kahan pe kya jale… hain darr se, tan-man ki, sihran se, hasrat ki, sulgan si, bhadke aur… shola-shola jale-bujhe dhuan dhuan ho… dhuan-dhuan lage mujhe, dhuan-dhuan ho… meri bebasi ka bayaan hai…”. I guess beyond a point, I’m speechless about this song. Just letting the lyrics do the talking here. But this is an absolute must listen song as well.

The instrumental piece Tango For Taj is interesting. It’s quite a European symphony piece. You can hear the lovely piano base with accordion and violin notes interspersed. You can imagine it being played in a concert somewhere by a large orchestra – very beautiful.

Tum Ko is sung by Kavita Subramaniam (nee Krishnamurthy) and this made me realise how much I missed hearing her voice on the records for quite some time. The song itself is a simple soulful piece with just a tabla beat in the background through most of it. The lyrics are once more really well done, keeping to the simple and poignant. But somehow it never rises to the inspirational levels of the other songs of the album. Kavita has sung it with her usual lush voice, and clear tones and that’s really what gives the song a lift.

Among the two instrumentals, I liked The Dichotomy of Fate much better. It is Rahman at the best of what he does – fusing the music from two different instruments to provide a musical treat. The shehnai is so fantastically played. Then the Spanish guitar begins, and it just works so well together, that you end up wondering – how have these instruments not been combined before? The table in the background brings context and a melding feel to the whole song. This is really a Rahman number in the truest sense. Listen to it to see what I mean.

Nadaan Parindey is a song which, to me was a bit of a mixed reaction to start off. There was a fairly rock-ish start that made me expect a song along those lines, so when Rahman’s voice started off (with some completely amazing beats) I was a little surprised by the way the song went. But as I heard it, I loved it (as is the case with a lot of Rahman’s music, I must say). There is still a ‘rock feel’ to the song because of the instruments – drums, bass guitars, electric guitars – and that really makes the song, especially the drums where Sivamani has really outdone himself. I loved the softer part of the song too which Mohit sings – “arjiya re, khaiyon na tu naina more, piya ke milan ki aas”. There is something extremely appealing about how Rahman once again ties in parts, which do not really seem to fit together, to create a full song that stands out in our memories.

Tum Ho is again sung by Mohit Chauhan and it is, I think, the only real out and out (happy) love song in the album. It sounds a bit like Tum Ko, but is kind of like its more romantic cousin. There is a dreamy quality to the song which is accentuated by Suzanne D’Mello, who hums in the background.  It’s really the singing that catapults this to “aww so beautiful” levels though. The music is well done but again, it’s not as different or as inspirational as the other songs in the album.

And then I think: O Rahman. How do you do it? Saadda Haq is so brilliant. There is absolutely no structure, once again. There are a lot of people who also think the lyrics are a little on the meh side, but I’d say listen to the whole song, especially the beginning: “Tum logon ki is duniya mein, har kadam pe insaan galat… Main sahi samajhke jo bhi karoon, tum kehte ho galat… Main galat hoon toh phir kaun sahi…”. Wow. By the time the music builds it up to the point where Mohit goes “Saadda Haq, Aithe Rakh”, you are ready to scream along with the slogan. I just love the guitar playing along as well. The song wouldn’t be a quarter of what it is without that absolutely awesome guitar. You can imagine cheering loudly when the riff plays on that guitar. You can imagine head-banging with the beats. You can imagine jumping in front of the stage. This is the real ‘Rockstar’ song of the album. And it is sung with such gusto, such vigour, such biting meaning by Mohit. He’s really excelled himself in this song – he’s just taken off and enjoying himself, looks like. What a song – everything just comes together so well to (almost) close the album on such a high note.

The actual close of the album comes with The Meeting Place, which features Ranbir reciting a poem with a simple background note playing. The poem is by Rumi and goes “Pata hai, yahan se bahut door, galat aur sahi ke paar, ek maidan hai… Main wahan miloonga tujhe.” The music fades away…

Rockstar features Rahman at his absolute best. There is not one song that you want to skip or have a feeling of “what was he thinking when he was composing this?”. Instead there are some absolute gems in this album. There is also a fantastic blend of very western music with an Indian feel to the core. You love each song for a different reason, and the different songs fit so beautifully well to create a rich and full tapestry. The music entertains; it takes you to amazing heights of freedom and to the deepest wells of despair, and provides a real wholesome listening experience. Atleast a 4.5 on 5.