A rare gem from ARR. Review on Bose: The Forgotten Hero Songs

ARR is back and boy, isn't he with a bang. There are albums in which some songs rise above the conceived perception of good songs and makes you sit up and wonder ''where did that come from''. But there are other albums which makes you drop your jaw in awe and make you shout, ''That's what quality is''.

Bose is one such.

ARR has always been a MD who surprises everyone with the variety and conception of songs. Of late he has seen more performing currencies and has virtually neglected the Indian music scene. This led to some shoddy works. But all that is history with Bose. It is hard to think of anyone who has been successful in instilling a patriotic fervor more than what ARR has. He started with Roja, reached a crescendo with Vande Matharam then Legend of Bhagat singh, Lagaan and now Bose. Though I would still rate Bhagat singh as his best work in terms of musical value, Bose exceeds any contemporary work for its sheer class. KV Mahadevan made the whole Tamilnadu sing patriotism with his songs in ''Kapalotiya Thamizhan'' but ARR has made a whole nation do that.

Ekla Chalo: Sung by Nachiketa Chakraborty, Sonu Nigam, this song will disarm even the most dangerous criminal and make him think of the country. The Bengali portions, sung by Chakraborthy, start the song with one of the most peaceful tunes recently heard. Merely listening to the start gives you a vision of a lonely boat slowly paddling the waters of Howrah. What Ilayaraaja failed to utilize in his Mumbai Express, ARR has. Sonu Nigam gives a soulful rendering of the main portion of the song. With a nonchalant ease and fluidity that speaks volume of his ability as a singer, Sonu Nigam gives a beautiful touch to the song. The violin interludes that follow throughout the song lift the mood of the song to new heights.

Zikr: It started with Haaji Ali in Fiza, then Noor Ul in Meenaxi and now zikr. This powerful song in praise of Allah is to me the proving point of ARR's potential as a person who can make a powerful impact with music. Such is the intensity of this song that, I, despite being a non-Muslim, closed my eyes in prayer hearing this song. Such is the transcendental reach of his music that it literally crosses all boundaries. This song, given an absolutely soulful rendering by ARR, starts as a slow haunting tune and progresses into one of those songs, which sends you into trance. The percussion and strings added towards the end take you to a world of power emotions.

Desh Ki Mitti Sonu Nigam yet again proves his mettle as not just a singer but someone who can take a song beyond the conventional karaoke mood. With a whole bunch of choir in the orchestration, ARR lifts the song to be an absolute treat for melody lovers. It is such a master composer that can bring in such a rendering into a song

Aazadi ARR's voice today is what Sachin's batting was in 2000. Matured, confident, vastly improved, convinced of ability and sheer delight for fans. The first song where I really felt a remarkable improvement in his voice was the humming in ''Kabhi neem neem'' from Yuva. There was no screaming of high octaves. It was beautiful control, which highlighted every note of the tune. ''Aazadi'' justifies my admiration for ARR as a singer. Starting with a beautiful chorus, ARR lifts the song to new heights. Though an uncanny resemblance to ''Ma thujae salaam'' cannot be discounted, still a beautiful composition.

Kadam Kadam Vijay prakash, never heard of him? Well, you will in the future. But more than the singer, it is ARRs orchestration that comes to fore in this brisk patriotic song. The lead and bass trumpets, combined with some perfect sound mixing, gives this song a real Beethoven feel. Great background music and a perfect way to say, ''I love my country''

This album not only features songs, but a complete version of OSTs. People have prematurely called ARR the Mozart of south, but I guess we can do so now. Every sound track in this album is pure music lover's nectar and an arranger's dream.

Must have for all music lovers.