My favorite songs of 2009 : Part 3 (no. 12 to 17)

Previous posts about this list: Intro, Part 1 (24-25), Part 2 (18-23)

No. 16-17

Chor Bazaari from Love Aaj Kal. Another song from the inconsistent LAK. Like I said, I am still to like any of his dance-friendly fast paced songs like "Twist", but this is one of the faster songs that I actually have begun to like. Then again, it is the fun lyrics, singing, and picturization that probably should get a lot of the credit (though Pritam does well too). I hadn't really liked this all that much when I had heard the album for the first time, but this was one of those songs that kept playing on the radio a lot of times while I was in India and (unlike "Man Ka Radio") grew on me. Seeing it on screen didn't hurt either, with Deepika Padukone's completely bindaas jumping around on Delhi's streets. :)

Again, the video isn't embeddable. See it here. The audio-only version is embedded below.

The other song at no. 16 is Fikraana from Blue. I was SO annoyed with ARR when I heard that he has signed up for THIS movie. Given that he gets to work in so few projects nowadays, it simply made no sense for him to sign something so obviously inconsequential as Blue (or later Couples Retreat) was. Yet, after listening to Blue, it was obvious that he had a lot of fun composing this. And when ARR has fun, it still means great music! :)

Fikraana is one of the more catcy recent ARR songs. The "jeete hain lad lad ke hum" part always gets me to hum along. I had expected the song to fade away after a few days, but it didn't happen. I still find it quite fun.

No. 12-15

Aaj Dil Gustaakh Hai from Blue. 'Fikraana', as I said above, is catchy, but not nearly as catchy as 'Aaj Dil Gustaakh'. I guess the video and Lara Dutta help a little, but even standing alone the song grabs your attention rightaway with the piano and strings in all those unexpected places. It makes the song sound a little strange, yet really good and foot-tapping even when you listen to it the first time. The starting "O ya sa! Maa ya sa! Saa ya sa! So ya sa!......... Chal Chal shara rara re!" was our apartment anthem for quite some time. :)

Aisi Sazaa from Gulaal. This is actually the odd-one-out song from Gulaal in the sense that it doesn't quite evoke the rural atmosphere that all the other songs do by their lyrics/singing/arrangements. Perhaps that's why this is the most easily likeable song in the album. You don't really have to pay attention to the lyrics to like the singing and the music. While the rest of the album has since grown a lot in my estimation, this is still the song I enjoy the most.

Bhoola Tujhe from Blue. Today is Blue day, evidently. :) The only song in the album that seems to be made for anything less than just 'fun', yet the sound seems to be pretty consistent with the album as a whole. A soothing ditty; a worthy addition to ARR's huge list of slow, romantic, soothing songs. Rashid Ali's voice instantly reminds one of the Jaane Tu... songs, which isn't a bad thing at all!

Raat Ke Dhhaai Baje from Kaminey. Man, what an album! Perhaps not as good as Omkaara (at least not as varied), yet SUCH a great match to the movie. Perhaps only a composer-director can make music that seems to mesh with the movie SO well (er.. maybe not... Slumdog Millionaire seems an obvious recent counter-example... Also, I don't have great expectations with Guzaarish's music.. perhaps Bhansali will surprise me.)

Anyway, in an album full of great songs, this would easily be the most fun song if not for 'Dhan tan nan'. Yet, I didn't quite like this all that much initially, specially as it seemed a climb down from the OTHER 'pehli baar mohabbat' song in the album. And then.. I saw it in the movie! Easily the best wedding song of the year! :) Rekha Bhardwaj seems to elevate every song she sings, really (not that Sunidhi Chauhan is less than good.. they form a great partnership). Full audio version is here.

Update: Part 4 is here.