Violins without Violence. Review on Sur Songs

I would say Sur is a completely different album from Jism and the only similarity is all the songs in both the albums are melody. But it has an entirely different sound. Hope you all remember my review on Jism album. To know more about this less known talented music director M.M.Kreem read my Jism album review. The elements that make this album to sound different from Jism and all other usual bollywood stuff is

~ Situational Songs

Soulful Tune

A tune is the first and fore most things listened sharply in a new song and it makes the first impression on any song and next comes the great lyrics, orchestration, singer etc. In such a case it should be so much effective and should have a body to impress the listeners on first listening itself and a soul to be remembered for a long time. Because after some years you may forget the lyrics of the song and the only thing that comes to our mind immediately is the main tune of the song. And as I said the tune of each and every song has a different style and mostly they are based on classical music. They have body to attract initially and soul to stay in our minds for a long time.

The count down of best tune (Excluding “Sur” Theme)

1. Aaa bhi jha

   
   




2. Dil ki kushi tu

   
   




3. Aa tumein ek

   
   




4. Jaane kya

   
   




5. Dil mein jaage

   
   




6. Khoya hai

   
   




7. Kabhi shaam dale

   
   




8. Ave maria

   
   

Singers

The singers of this album are those I haven’t heard much before. Lucky Ali, Mahalakshmi and Sunidhi chauhan. Lucky Ali has a different and unique voice. Undoubtedly, the album belongs to Lucky Ali and his versatility in singing. Though his voice was strange to listen at first, it grows in me and his voice delivers the feel of each song effortlessly and it creates a great impact on each song. Sunidhi also has some potential in her, I liked her voice in song#7. Mahalakshmi is excellent in #5 and it was funny and good. I think bollywood can use these voices more often than it is now. Marijke Desouza who has sung the French prayer has a powerful voice and she has sung it well.

Orchestration

Orchestration is writing notes for each instruments (violin, flute, piano, percussion, guitar, human chorus) separately and properly timed and sequenced to get a desired emotion and feel through the combined sound all the instruments. All the songs have great orchestration. Orchestrations are used both in the background and in the interludes.

Mostly he has used Violin (as the script demands). Violin can deliver any emotions and mood through its strings. That is why world’s greatest composers like mozart, beethoven all took violin orchestration as their interest. Group of Violins and instruments of its kind always occupies more space in any 101 piece orchestrations and symphonies all over the world. You can play any kind of notes eastern, western, folk, chinese, and deliver all emotions like sadness, happiness, anger, jealousy, surprise, thrill, divinity. You feel it, play it and you get it from violin. The solo violin also can emote for all kind of situations when played with different tempo. Kreem realized this and as the story also seems to be one that deals with violin. He has frequently used violins in almost all the songs and violins are used differently to evoke different emotions.

Best usages of Violins in this album are

Obviously “Sur” theme tops the list followed by

Solo Violin playing at the starting of #1

Violins playing the tune of #4 at the end of #1

Solo violins all through the song #4

Violin Orchestration all through the song #7

Violin orchestrations in the interludes of #2

Starting piece of #6

Flute is a wind instrument, which is mostly used for melodies. Flute sound is the most haunting and soothing one to any eardrums. Flute mostly delivers sadness and somberness well and also the beauty of nature. It can create the sound of vision.

Best usage of flute

In the interludes of #5 and it is dominant in this track

In the interludes of #4 and it is dominant in this track.

Initial flute piece in #7

Flute at the end of #3 following Lucky Ali’s voice in the background is haunting one.

Guitar when used gives a western feel to the song.

The background of #2 and #4 is the guitar and use can hear its excellent usage in these songs.

Piano can reproduce even the minute emotions of a character to an extent it can even sound for silence. Piano can emote inner emotions like for example, think of piano playing when a new born baby touches her mother for the first time and mother sheds pleasant tears on excitement. Fingerings on Piano for First Fingerings of the Baby on her Mother. Poetic isn’t it.

Piano is best used in the interludes of #3

Piano and flute in first interlude of #5

And above all the human voice, for which versatility has no bounds. It can go to any extent to deliver any kind of feelings or emotions. The human voice in orchestrations are grouped and used to deliver emotions through humming and swaras. But I could not see any effective usage of chorus in the songs but as a fact it mostly remains hidden among the loud instrument sounds. But chorus part in #7 in the way of repeating the lyrics is not that good and it is rahmanish to an extent.

80’ style of composition

The background rhythm used for numbers #1, #6 and #7 are typical 80’s type of 80’s compositions and lacks freshness but somehow other pluses in these songs overcomes this minus. And also usage of the violin orchestrations in the background are typical 80’s style of composition and I have heard similar music many times in his Tamil and Telugu songs composed in 80’s.

Situational songs

Even though I don’t understand Hindi much, I read the translation of the https://lyrics. It is too good. It seems all the songs in the movie are situational and being a musical theme it has lot of scope for music. And M.M. Kreem has well utilized this opportunity to prove himself there in north. The sudden transition in the mood of the songs and orchestration leaves a lot to be watched on screen to understand the necessity. Anyway, a good effort in music.

Inspirations

“Dil mein” seems to be inspired from breathless of Shankar Mahadevan and also the background music this song sounds similar but the tempo is reduced. “Sur” theme is sounds like the track “Study for violin” from “How To Name It” album by Illayaraja. The way he handles the orchestrations are in the same style as that of Illayaraja. But I don’t blame Kreem for this, as I trust it as unintentional

Overall a must buy album for all die-hard music fans