Songs at the end of review.
Sau Aasoon is instantly identifiable as a Shankar Ehsaan Loy product, not something that works much in the song’s favour in this case. Even Shankar Mahadevan’s soulful rendition (joined by Rasika Shekhar) only adds to that familiarity. Jaago Mohan Pyaare has some interesting moments – that folksy refrain on the tumbi(?) and the singing by Digvijay Singh Pariyar (new Divya Kumar on the block?) being the prominent ones – but is largely a daunting listen despite an exuberant job from the singers (Siddharth Basrur, Rasika Shekhar and Raman Mahadevan the others).
Sarfira too is plagued by the familiarity in sound, except in this case it is a more generic party-based format than SEL-specific. It is infectious fun nevertheless, a lot owing to the singers Siddharth Mahadevan (who sounds remarkably like KK here I felt) and Neeti Mohan. Processing in Mohan Kannan’s vocals strikes the occasional jarring note in an otherwise poignant and pleasant Ove Janiya. Sayani Palit does an equally fine job of singing the shorter, even sparsely arranged reprise version; in fact the choice of just the piano to form the background makes this a better listen. My favourite from the soundtrack is the bouncy Lip to Lip; Kumaar’s light-hearted lines are given a delightful treatment by the composers. Guitars rule the arrangement while there is also some neat sax usage. Ritu Phatak rules the song though with her folk-tinged rendition, Nikhil D’Souza giving her good company as the male counterpart.
Katti Batti. SEL soundtrack riddled with familiar sounds, but features some good singing. Not a great year for the composers.
Music Aloud Rating: 7/10
Top Recos: Lip to Lip, Ove Janiya, Sarfira
