Trendy Love Mumbai album assessment: No emotional heft

Trendy Love Mumbai
Composers: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal Bhardwaj, Ram Sampath, Jeet Ganguly, Gaurav Raina, Nikhil D’Souza, Neel Adhikari
Score: Two and a part stars

The Mumbai model of Trendy Love – John Carney’s American collection in line with New York Occasions columns – is a six-part collection that has its characters navigating their worlds within the most town as an alternative of New York. To improve the six tales within the anthology – the makers were given six composers into other studios and the result’s a seven-track album that may have hit it out of the park. In the end, there are names like Vishal Bhardwaj, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Ram Sampath at the record. However barring a few tracks, this sort of huge staff – six composers, they all giants of their explicit genres – is not able to tug off brilliance. It does display some aptitude and skill however doesn’t appear to stem from the recesses of the guts. It does now not achieve the opposite aspect both.

The one songs within the collection that make some have an effect on aren’t part of the album. Baai, Hansal Mehta’s tale that merges an excessive amount of – communal riots, a homosexual love tale and technology hole right into a small pill – involves lifestyles just for a couple of moments. Pakistani musician Ali Sethi took Majrooh Sultanpuri and Kamal Amrohi’s one line – Chandni raat badi der ke baad aayi hai – from Amrohi’s seminal movie, Pakeezah, and wrote every other ghazal that merged wonderfully with the unique. However this and the fabulous C Ramachandra dadra, Lakho ke bol sahe, made very popular via Patiala gharana vocalist Nirmala Devi (additionally actor Govinda’s mom), aren’t part of the unique album.

Within the latter, there’s a uncommon day trip via Sonu Nigam, who sings a Jeet Ganguly composition right here. Kaisi baatein starts reasonably neatly with a gradual piano piece and swelling strings discovering every different amid Nigam’s get started within the low notes. Kyun zamane ke gham uthaate ho, Ishq ko apne kyun gavaate ho, lyrics via Sameer Rahat, make an have an effect on. However as for Ganguly’s melody, it kind of feels like a pretend try at being refined. The tenderness of the connection it is attempting to painting, of loss and longing, comes thru most effective sporadically and most commonly during the lyrics. Nigam throws his voice gently however with intermittent impact.

One tune that did permit itself to be spotted a little bit extra is Raat bhar, which has been written and composed via Bhardwaj. Apparently, the Arabic phrase Hijr (which means separation), liked maximum in ghazal, makes an look with extra recent ideas similar to inbox, tweet and textual content. Startlingly, it isn’t cringe-worthy in any respect. The nylon string guitars via Debarpito Saha, together with a young melody from the standard Bhardwaj arsenal, are each noteworthy. Meiyang Chang sings it in his fundamental, endearing taste. Every other piece that works is the identify tune – Mausam hai pyar, composed and sung via Nikhil D’souza, who sounds completely in command.

A wonder comes from London-based tabla participant Karsh Kale, who sings for a transformation, in a brilliant Neel Adhikari composition titled The Similar. Kale is just right sufficient, alright, however the only voice that makes itself heard this is that of22-year0old singer-songwriter Karshni Nair, a good looking singer from Pune, who we will have to glance out for within the days to return.

Raat rani, sung via Nikhita Gandhi, comes with full of life preparations from Sampath. It’s sung neatly however the composition does now not transfer above being fundamental (we’re most commonly used to extraordinarily clever song from Sampath) till it reaches a fantastic hook. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s Shuru se shuru falls quite within the equivalent class. The song simply doesn’t set up to raise up. It’s even lacking the vibrancy of Raat rani.

Yaadein via Gaurav Raina (one part of the folks electronica outfit Midival Punditz) and singer Kamakshi Khanna, is a reminder of the disco of the ’80s. It’s undoubtedly attention-grabbing and recent in a nostalgic form of method however doesn’t set up to do a lot for the soul. And that’s the place many of the album’s factor rests. Listenable tracks that don’t stick. My middle is going again to Chandni raat and Lakho ke bol and needs to stick there, outdoor of this authentic album.