Sonu Nigam as a Composer. Review on Chanda Ki Doli - Sonu Nigam

There were many singers who tried music composing in past and even now so many are there but very few of them was able to taste success as a composer. Most of them are aware that how responsible and cumbersome the jobs it is and that is why even the most popular and talented singers stay away from it. But here we have the multi faceted singer Sonu Nigam daring to try his hands in music composition. He is well known for his mellifluous voice and expressive rendition with each and every one of his tracks becoming chartbusters, but how good he is in expressing the same emotions not only through his voice but also through his music and the answer is in his debut album “Chanda Ki Doli”. The 10 songs in the album are penned by Nusrat Badr.

Chanda Ki Doli

The album starts with obviously the best song cum the title track of the album. The song is very much like a Adnan Sami’s composition especially the arrangements are like his.

The way the song starts with piano playing the main tune, followed by a sitar piece and the orchestrations that follow in the background all through the song are all Adnanish but yet the pleasant melody in the song makes you forget all these comparisons and you will start to like it. The Shehnai like piece sprinkled through out the song is a good one. The song could have been a much better melody without that heavy bass in the background.

Rafta- Rafta Nazar

Another Adnanish track but this time a catchy fast paced techno bhangra track. The tabla mukdas, the mix of tabla with techno beats, usage of guitar along with folk beats are all signature style of Adnan which Sonu has adapted in this song. By all these comparisons, I neither compliment nor curse Sonu for it, as just as a song it sounds good. The percussion arrangements all through the song is great and it keep up the energy and the pace in the song.

Pagal Hoon Main

It is a very bollywoodish number. The song doesn’t impress me much on the first listening. Even later after multiple listening, only the four lines following “Pagal Hoon Main” along with a brief mouth organ piece sounds good, rest of the song lacks punch in the melody. The second half of the song has much better melody than the first half and it may be because of the absence of the age old bollywood beats. It is a very average number on the whole.

Mujhe Tumse Milke

Imagine if a title song is composed by Anu Malik for a movie titled “Mujhe Tumse Milke Ye kehna hai”, this song sounds exactly like that. The melody, beats, orchestration and Sonu Nigam’s singing all put together makes it sound like an Anu Malik number (didn’t mean Plagiarism). The tune sounds impressive when played with piano in the interludes but the same can’t be said when it is filled with words. The solo violin doesn’t gel well with the mood of the song. Second average number in a row.

Tu

This is an excellent melody with an unusual main tune with the words sounding both reading and singing. Solo Violin performance in the interlude is great. The beats and percussions in the background are adequate and nondisturbing and gels well the melody. I don’t know why the clapping sounds are mixed, was it recorded on a live performance?

Chale Aoo

It sounds like an English number with Hindi https://lyrics. The way the lines are broken and the last word of each line is stretched is typical of a soft rock number. Sonu Nigam’s diction and rendition further enhances the English feel. It is a very enjoyable number indeed. The electronic flute piece and electronic veena piece in the interludes sounds good. It a very unique number and gives some change in the otherwise monotonous album. There is also a remixed version (by Akbar Sami) of this song which is a passable one.

Tumne Mohabat Ki

This song has a nice catchy tune but somehow reminds me “Kuch to hua hai” song. The song has got a unique rhythm and along with the strings and electronic pieces looping through, it sounds even better.

Tu hi Bata

Song starts promisingly with an innovative percussion but when the usual techno beats are added to it, the song turns pretty ordinary. If those initial percussions were maintained and looped all through the song, it would have sounded very different. The song has a very average melody but the chorus part along with the strings sounds nice.

Rehne De

All the slow songs are not melodies. Sonu Nigam has tried something very unconventional but the song falls flat without a hummable tune except for the way the words “Rehne De” is put to tune. I think Sonu is highly as to how to proceed in this song after composing the main tune. Even his over expressive singing doesn’t save the number.

On the whole, the album is a very average effort but considering that it is Sonu’s debut effort he has done a descent job and one can definitely hope for better from him in the future. Better music next time Sonu.