There seems to be talent simply pouring into the Indian film industry right now - and here's another fantastic debut! The Tanu Weds Manu soundtrack is composer Krsna's first foray into Hindi film - and he nails it. It's a smart move opening with RDB's 'Sadi Gali'. Sadi Gali -
a Punjabi superhit from around 2005 - is a thumping dance floor anthem of a song, upbeat and utterly exuberant - setting an excellent tone for what is to come.Krsna's first original composition is the dreamy love song, Yun Hi, featuring Mohit Chauhan's smooth vocals supported by Ujjaini on backup. Often in Hindi films, the love songs are all so similar they end up sounding the same (I'm not dissing them either - I'm a huge fan of the classic soaring, stand on a mountain top love song!). Yun Hi distinguishes itself with varied and creative instrumentation - a range of percussion and woodwind, interesting use of percussive rhythms, and an inventive melody that shies away from conjuring up the usual clichés. This song is so complex and layered I hear something new and interesting every time I listen - like the lovely way Mohit Chauhan and Ujjaini play a kind of verbal 'tag' with each other at one point.
Next up is Rangrez, and composer Krsna handles the vocals - and impressively, as the qawwali clocks in at over 6 minutes long and is clearly a demanding task, requiring emotion, nuance and control. There's an alternate version of this song on the album: 'Rangrez (Hey Rangrez Mere Hey)' sung by the Wasidi Brothers - instrumentation remains the same, but of course the focus of a qawwali is the singer, and so the difference lies in the singers' voices. The Wasidi Brother's voices sound slightly hoarser and more earthy to me - I prefer their version over Krsna's but they're both good - it's really down to personal taste.
Piya is a gorgeous track with yearning, achingly beautiful vocals from Roop Kumar Rathod. With its repeated refrain, lush strings and woodwind, and softly thumping percussion, this track is swooningly romantic yet not at all simple or clichéd. My instant favourite track for its classical vibe with a contemporary edge.
Mannu Bhaiya is the track that convinced me that Krsna is a talent to keep an eye on - the arrangement is awesome! Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan (with contributions from Niladri Debnath, Viveik Naik, Ujjani Mukherjee and Rakhi Chand) this track spans dance, hip-hop, downhome desi folk, coming through to being almost industrial in tone. Complex, multilayered, but above-all, original, beat-heavy and totally addictive. LOVE it.
Mika comes onboard for Jugni, another upbeat Punjabi number that sadly pales in comparison to 'Sadi Gali'. It's a fun enough song, and Mika's energy remains vibrant throughout. But with the rest of the album providing some interesting and complex arrangements, this seems a bit too familiar.
Overall, the Tanu Weds Manu soundtrack is an eclectic, upbeat, left-of-centre listen; bound to appeal to genuine music-lovers and party-people just looking for new dancefloor grooves.
Source: Bollywoodspice