“22 No. Faatak was a railway crossing (now it is below a flyover) in Patiala. This is the city where I did my engineering from and spent the most amazing years of my life. It gave me friendships that will remain a part of my life forever, it made me believe in myself and gave me courage to run after my dreams, it made me the person that I am today, thats why this album is named 22 No. Faatak.” – Dilpreet Bhatia on his debut album. So what does the album 22 No. Faatak speak of the person that Dilpreet is today? Let us see.
“22 No. Faatak was a railway crossing (now it is below a flyover) in Patiala. This is the city where I did my engineering from and spent the most amazing years of my life. It gave me friendships that will remain a part of my life forever, it made me believe in myself and gave me courage to run after my dreams, it made me the person that I am today, thats why this album is named 22 No. Faatak.” – Ae Geet, the flagship song of 22 No. Faatak, starts off on a bhajan-like note before shifting to rock. Dilpreet succeeds in bringing about the melancholic feel with his soulful rendition. He has done a commendable job with the arrangement as well, the occasional smattering of tabla beats being an especially smart bit of work. Dilpreet follows it up with Rabba Es Dil Nu, a splendidly arranged soft melody. Dilpreet has previously shown his prowess at delivering soft numbers with Saanu Ik Pal, he excels here too. I did get reminded of the Serene Version of Gulon Mein from Sikander in places, but Rabba Es.. shall remain one of my picks from the album. Dilpreet introduces a pop version of Saanu Ik Pal, which in spite of the innovative orchestration (I liked the harmonium/accordion in the interlude!), did not appeal to me as much as the original did. The original incidentally makes its appearance later in the album as Saanu Ik Pal Unplugged.
Teri Yaad kicks off as another feel good, sing-along sort of track but doesn’t appear as attractive in its antara portion. But Dilpreet sort of makes amends with Tere Bin Dil, a predominantly folksy song with mild rock garnishings. Interestingly there is a line in this song that goes “Ranjha Ranjha Kar Deeni Main Aap Ranjha Hoi“, same as the starting line of the Raavan song! Dur Kitte sees a delightful fusion between folk, rock and classical elements (Raag Darbar I suppose). Main Pyaar Kar Challi Aan is unadulterated folk music, serene and emotive. Ideal song for easy listening. I found a mismatch between the Punjabi lyrics and the kind of poppish arrangement that was given for Pata Ni Ae Hunda. Dilpreet bows out with another well-arranged sedate melody, Aj Aakhaan.
Dilpreet Bhatia’s debut album stamps his authority in composing and delivering sedate folksy tracks, but speaks little of his flair in other genres. Nevertheless, 22 No. Faatak is a good listen with some brilliantly arranged melodies, thanks in part to Leslie Lewis who worked with Dilpreet in the arrangement. Below is the video of Ae Geet which has been on TV for some time now, and Saanu Ik Pal which was released some time back (You can read Music Aloud’s interview of Dilpreet here.
Music Aloud Rating: 7.5/10
Recommended Tracks: Ae Geet, Rabba Es Dil Nu, Main Pyaar Kar Challi Aan
