Song jukebox at the end of the review (link via @Prakshid)
While ABCD had Shambhu Sutaaya, in ABCD 2 composers Sachin Jigar present another high energy Ganesh Vandana song called Hey Ganaraya. This one has a tune more classical-oriented (panthuvarali/puriya dhanasri raga perhaps), it is replete with taans and bols and heavy percussion that would indicate a frenzied dance session to go with it. Divya Kumar is exceptional with his singing. Bezubaan which was one of the best songs of the first edition gets a sprightly makeover for the sequel. Madhav Krishna and Anushka Manchanda take over from Mohit Chauhan and Priya Panchal in delivering the lovely core tune while Vishal Dadlani does the rapping here. Sachin Jigar get Arijit Singh for the beautiful melodic piece Chunar, and he totally owns it. The arrangement keeps with the haunting quality of the song, but for a surprise diversion in first interlude where a light classical solo is played on the electric guitar (desh raag I thought) with mridangam accompaniment. Sun Saathiya is another one on the addictive melody category; while Priya Saraiya takes the lead on the rendition of the slow main melody, composers intersperse it with Divya Kumar’s fast-paced sargam bits and the contrasting combination works fabulously! If You Hold My Hand has a familiar-sounding tune and the pop-based arrangement adds to that déjà vu feeling. Benny Dayal’s singing helps mitigate that to an extent though.
Delhi-based dance music group D Soldierz write two songs for the soundtrack, Happy B’Day and Happy Hour; both have their share of wackiness and are quite effective. While the former is an out and out party song sung by Sachin Jigar with Varun Dhawan (female chorus uncredited), second features a more intriguing arrangement that often shifts modes and has Mika Singh on vocals. Apparently Prabhu Deva is dancing to Happy Hour in the movie, so should make for an interesting watch. Naach Meri Jaan has nothing particularly special song-wise or orchestration-wise, but the general energy throughout the song with its carnival-esque elements and the singing by Benny Dayal, Shalmali Kholgade, Siddharth Basrur and Rimi Nique will have you hooked to this one. Barring the fact that the chorus humming section keeps reminding me of the Roar refrain from Katy Perry’s Hear Me Roar, Tattoo is a decent listen, and mostly so owing to Shefali Alvares behind the mic. Vande Mataram starts on a poignant note with Tanishka Sanghvi’s vocals before going heavier and more dance-y, ending up a mishmash that might work better with the visuals but not so much just as a song.
ABCD 2. Sachin Jigar produce a soundtrack that, like its predecessor, totally conforms to the dance theme of the movie and yet strikes a neat balance between rhythmic and melodic pieces that have almost as much value as a soundtrack as they should when viewed with the dance sequences.
Music Aloud Rating: 8.5/10
Top Recos: Sun Saathiya, Hey Ganaraya, Chunar, Bezubaan
