Go for it... Review on Kyun! Ho Gaya Na Songs

''If the music is by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, then its got to be magical'' said my friend Pradeep from Texas on Saturday. Though I would not go as far as that, I must confess that I find this music trio a refreshing break from the rest of the crowd - you've probably realized that I am biased towards them.

Ever since their chart busting scores in Dil Chahta Haiand Mission Kashmir, my expectations of SEL have always been sky high. While efforts like Armaan, Kal Ho Na Ho, Lakshya and Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai hit bull's eye, I felt Kuch Na Kaho and more recently Rudraksh were very disappointing. So with a banner like Boney Kapoor producing the movie and a newcomer like Samir Karnik to extract the best, I had very high hopes on Kyuun Ho Gaya Na.

Considering the movie has been promoted as a fun film celebrating love, it isn't surprising to note that most of the tracks are past-paced and are high on verve - however the usual SEL melodious number also makes its presence felt strongly. What is a tad disappointing is the absence of an instrumental track which is something I have always come to expect of SEL. Now for the actual details.

Pyaar mein sau uljhanein

Shankar Mahadevan, Vijay Prakash, Mahalaxmi, Sneha Pant

This song, aggressively promoted on all the channels, is proof enough that the composers know their audience well. Full of zing, this number has one itching to hit the floors. Ignoring the obvious influences of English/Scottish folk, one thing this song keeps reminding me of is the sound track of Chicago (maybe a wee bit of jazz). Haven't I heard some notes before - isnt it like carnival music ? Shankar Mahadevan and Mahalakshmi competently infuse the necessary energy to this track and are ably supported by some delightful lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Special mention must also be made of the amazing orchestration.

Rating 8.5/10

No no (kyun ho gaya na...)

Shankar Mahadevan, Kunal Ganjawala, Dominique Cerejo, Loy Mendonca, Chetan Shashital

A movie targeted at a youthful audience needs this kinda number to spice up proceedings. If the first song in the album was soft yet pacy, then this one is full of fast beats and is clearly foot-tapping. The vocals of Kunal and Dominique are the real cause behind this song's strong appeal and if imaginatively picturised, this number has the potential to be a huge rage.

Rating: 8/10

Aao naa

Sadhana Sargam, Udit Narayan

Hindi music's loss was Tamil music's gain for the last few years when the extremely talented but under-utilized Sadhna Sargam made waves with AR Rahman. In this delightfully soothing melody, she is almost flawless - wonderfully supported by the competent Udit Narayan. Though the tune reminds me of some other hit number, what works for this song is the minimal instrumentation and obvious dependence on the voices to carry it off. The lyrics are divine and the ''sa sa...'' humming that drifts in and out of the song is mildly put, mind-blowing. I keep dreaming of picturising this song in the Swiss Alps/Greenland/Alaska like say, Kismet se Tum from Pukar :-) Can?t wait to see catch it on screen.

Rating: 9.5/10

Main hoon

Sunidhi Chauhan, Shaan

This number is an argument between the hero and the heroine set to verse - its USPs being the playful lyrics and Shaan's singing with real gusto. Again a lot depends on the picturisation and placement of this song in the movie but this number would definitely not count amongst the strengths of the album.

Rating: 7/10

Baat samjha karo

Chetan Shashital, Shankar Mahadevan, Javed Ali

For someone so much used to listening to Sudesh Bhosle crooning fro Amitabh, Chetan 's voice was a welcome break - and have to admit that it suits too. This song, in my opinion, is the weakest link in the whole album. Low on experimentation in instrumentation, this is the only number where one can actually predict how the next line is gonna sound. But again this song is also peppy and could do well after the movie is out. Shankar Mahadevan is strictly okie dokie while lyrics do not play a very critical role.

Rating: 6/10

Dheere dheere

Shankar Mahadevan

For all those used to hearing the high tempo songs of Shankar Mahadevan, here's a refreshing break. This slow, soulful solo number will surely tug at your heart strings and is very high on the melody co-efficient. The only problem I see for this song is that it will be difficult to make audiences sit and see this on screen. Worth a definite hear though. Rating: 8/10

Summing up, yes, KHGN is strongly recommended.