The Rising: Early Impressions

Just sent a mail to ARR fans group about early impressions of songs of The Rising.. pasting the content here...

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As always, first hearing was disappointing but the songs have grown on me since. There is still a tinge of disappointment about the use of instrumental pieces from his earlier songs (Mudhalvan/Nayak, Kaadhalar Dhinam/Dil Hi Dil Mein etc), but overall the album is pretty good. Maybe not "hit" material, but very classy... Anyway, not many authentic period scores catch the fancy of general junta, so I guess we'll have to live with it... All of his period albums have been absolutely great yet only Lagaan became popular ( I personally rank 1947 Earth and TLOBS above Lagaan). I hope The Rising breaks the trend but I am afraid it might not.

Khair... the songs... this is not really a review.. just a few comments that come to my mind as I'm listening...

1/5/8) Mangal Mangal - 3 versions: Each of the versions is superb, though the first two don't sound very different from each other. And the third one (Aatma) starts slower but picks up the pace later on and sounds much like the earlier versions. I am not complaining though. Its a superb song! 3 is better than 1! :)
9/10

2) Main Vari Vari: Very well sung by Kavita and Reena. Basically a "mujra" song that grows on you. However, doesn't really break any new ground as far as mujra songs are concerned except the portions sung by Reena where the song really attains a little modern touch and sounds really different and interesting.
7.5/10

3) Holi Re: Starts with Aamir reciting a longish portion which is followed by a catchy tune sung by Udit and Madhushree mainly, joined by Srinivas and Chinmayee... sounded very ordinary initially but now I think it can turn out to be "Radha Kaise Na Jale" type popular song if promoted well and if the movie manages to be a hit. Like I said the mukhda tune is pretty catchy.. My only problem is that it is a bit too garba-ish for a Holi song.
8/10

4) Rasiya: Not your typical Richa Sharma song. Very different (and MUCH better) than what I had expected. Introduces another great ARR discovery - Bonnie Chakraborty (at least I haven't seen her name anywhere before). Its very "intoxicating" if you know what I mean... the rhythm probably reminds one of "Badan Dhuaan Dhuaan" and yet the song is probably closer to "Rang Hai" in its effect. Amazing instrumentation - understated throughout and yet its amazing how good it sounds with the song. And the Chorus!! WOW!!!... Great Song!!! Will not be very popular among masses but I am sure it'll be a favorite with a LOT of people who'll end up buying the album.
9.5/10

6) Takey Takey: ammm... very weird song on first hearing.. in fact, it still sounds a bit weird after all these hearing... clearly the most situational song of the album... but going by the lyrics, it will probably have a very interesting picturization... Must say that the song won't have worked on me had it been sung by ANYONE other than Sukhwinder... As of now, sukhwinder's irrepressible singing makes it good for me... still waiting for it to grow though...
7.5/10

7) Al Maddath Maula: The Qawwali we've been waiting for. I must say, "Zikr" did not go down very well with me. I still don't like it. But this one is amazing! When ARR sings "maulaaaa maulaa maulaa ho" it is pure paradise!! I'd probably have liked less of "Al Maddath Maula" chanting that goes on in between the lines. The mukhda tune once again is very catchy.. something that draws you in from the first hearing itself... "ae mere daataa.. ae mere maulaa"...
8.75/10 (would've been 9 if I could somehow take the "Al Maddath Maula" out... )

So... there you go... a very good album overall.. Must mention Javed Akhtar's lyrics which are great throughout...

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