Raavan by A R Rahman | Music Review

I dont know if its destiny or pure coincidence that I am coming back on ReelMag reviewing my favorite, A.R.Rahman's work , that too for Maniratnam, which is ofcourse not by chance that His best music has been reserved for him. It’s largely traditional folk-based music, with a modern touch but it will take time to grow on you.

1. Beera : Congo beats welcome you to the world of Beera, the main character. Lyrics by Gulzar are situational and might be more appreciated after the release of the movie. Singing by Vijay, Mustafa are first class with vocals by Keerthi adding drama to the track. A typical Rahman’s experimental with fusion of Indian and Afro music.


2. Behne de : A slow start song, but as it gains pace, oozes melody from start to end. Gulzar’s striking metaphors are a treat to listen to and visualize. Karthik has given his best performance ably supported by Mohamed Irfan.

3. Thok de Khilli : A mixing pot of dholaks, guitars & shenai, takes a start as a dance number. Sukhwinder Singh adding his exotically rich voice and energy with an Arabic essence in the in-between phrases. But not a hit in the offering.

4. Ranjha Ranjha : My favorite in album, fusion of peppy modern beats and traditional folk. Rekha Bharadwaj’s sufi type chanting of "Ranjha Ranjha" is phenomenal blended very well with Javed Ali’s voice and amazingly written lyrics by Gulzar.The richness of Rahman’s music is undescribable.

5. Khilli Re : The only romantic track in album. It is a mix of contemporary music with retro, quite reminiscent of the 80s romantic songs. Lyrically it has nothing special to offer but melodiously crooned by the first-timer Reena Bhardawaj.

6. Kata Kata : A distinct Rajasthani folk has the essence of euphoria with layer upon layer of mind-boggling notes. The multi-faceted singers energize the song, thanks to the folksy lyrics.

Raavan music has variety, class and rustic flavor that deserves repeated listening to be fully appreciated. But one thing, which never before happened with Rahman, that some songs have some similarity to one of his previous compositions, Ranjha – Maiya (guru), Kata – Azeem o shaan (jodha akbar), Behne de – Tu meri (jaane tu).
 
Written By: Neha Jain