CityLights: Music Review

Starring: Raj Kumar Yadav, Patralekha

Music Composer: Jeet Ganguli

Any Bhatt involvement in any Bollywood film usually indicates a fantastic musical score, and such is the case for CityLights. Produced by Mukesh Bhatt, under the Vishesh banner this film carries serious weight in the industry when it comes to musical content and film content. Bengali music producer, Jeet Ganguli reemerges from the woodwork as he toggles between Bengali and Hindi Cinema. His last two Hindi cinema ventures, Raaz 3 and Youngistan, were widely popular. Boasting experienced singers like Ustad Rashid Khan and Usha Utup with younger newcomers like Arjit Singh and Neeti Mohan, this CityLights fuses both of the best worlds.

CityLights begins with Muskurane by Arjit Singh.  This song captures the romantic yearning reminiscent of Raaz 3.  Lyrically and musically, this song follows the somber trepidation of most Bhatt film music, but is different from its predecessors with the special Ganguli touch.The angst of Singh's vocals are smoothed elegantly with a touch of piano and guitar 5/5.

Later in the album, we have a second rendition, Muskurane (unplugged) by Mohammad Irfan. Mohammad Irfan is a rising star in Bollywood, he was seen most recently singing for the Bollywood film Ek Villain, which I address in my music review. This slows the tempo down more than Arjit Sigh's version, bearing a lighter piano sound mixed with violins. Even though slightly different, this song is better than Singh's version. 4/5

The most comfortable way to sit

Darbadar by Neeti Mohan is a haunting song obviously set in the cityscape that  manages to keep the somber trend of the album. Mohan's voice has the tone to masterfully capture a feeling of wandering and loneliness that is expressed throughout CityLights. Again, a rich piano sound and deep emotions adds to the quality of the song. 5/5

Arjit Singh returns once again to CityLights with Ek Charraiya, and this is not the last we see of him. Hitting higher notes than he did with Muskurane, this song is a little more folksy than the first two on the album. Ganguli, I'm sure, has made sure that this captures the essence of Bengali folk songs with the slow beat. This is definitely one of the more optimistic songs on this album, however refined the happiness is kept. Despite the differentiation with Bengali folk, this song doesn't really offer too much. Decent. 3.5/5

Unsurprisingly, Ek Charraiya (unplugged) follows with Ganguli himself behind the microphone. This song is nearly identical to the first version and is not really as unplugged as it says it is.It depends on personal preference, which singer you choose, Jeet Ganguli or Arjit Singh. Ganguli's voice seems to be more suited, this time, to his own composition. 4/5

Arjit Singh has his third win on CityLights with Soney Do. Although this song works to only add to the slow pace the album has set, it intrinsically has its own personal music quality compared to the other. The alaps that Singh does towards the ends of the song add value to this song. Although, it can be more seen as a song to move the film along, it does have its own place, content wise on the album. It has rich instrumentals like the songs before it. 3.5/5

The album ends with an upbeat CityLights(Title Song) that deviates from the rest of the album . Ustad Rashid Khan piece starts beautifully as it is classical against electric guitar. This song gets tarnished quickly, when Usha Utup, who bears a voice bordering on masculine enters the song. Think back to the title song of Hare Rama Hare Krishna in the seventies. She has the hook of the song, unfortunately, and presides over a majority of the song, thus bringing it down with her. Despite all against it, this song is still decent. 3/5

Jeet Ganguli is able to bring the music of CityLights to the heights of Bhatt soundtracks. The music of this film surpasses many of the current albums that are out in Bollywood at the moment with songs that are rich in both musical and lyrical content. Expect this soundtrack to create wave throughout Bollywood.

My Picks: Muskarane, Darbadar, Ek Charraiya 

Read My Other Reviews:

Ek Villain Music Review

Humshakals Music Review

Boyss Toh Boyss Hain: Music Review

Music Composers: Anuj Garg, Sayanthi-Shailendra, Willy, Dhiren Raichura, Dhwanit Joshi

Starring: Raj Kumar Yadav, Dhruv Ganesh, Aarya Kumar, Divya Dutta, Gulshan Grover 

Forget the others, I'm interested in the
mannequin without a head

What to say about the music of Boyss Toh Boyss Hain?  First of all the movie has quite a name, so it certainly needs a soundtrack to back it up. We have a variety of composers here, so each track has its own flavor. Boyss Toh Boyss Hain is exciting and experimental.

To kick off Boyss Toh Boyss Hai we have the title track, Boyss Toh Boyss Hain. This Hinglish track is sung by Neeraj Sridhar and Willii. Even though this is a title track, it is actually pretty catchy, especially when the female voice cuts in and says "Hai Ram, Boys Toh Boys Hain". Definitely one of the best on the album. 4/5

The next song we have is Mika Singh's Gol Gol. This song is tinged with Punjabi techno. The "Gol Gol" part  instantly catchy, but it does have English interludes saying "Shake your Booty", similar the booty shake in Chennai Express', One Two Three Four. Click Here For My Chennai Express: Music Review  But besides that booty shake piece, this is a fantastic track with tons of variation 3.5/5

Our most Punjabi style number is Kachha Papad features Labh Janjua and Anuj Garg. There is a interesting mix of rock, R&B, and Punjabi here. The guitar solos are wonderful, but besides these short intervals of instrumentals there is nothing to separate this song from other Punjabi numbers. Decent. 3/5

Out of all these eligible bachelors, I would
choose the creepy silver man in the middle

Mohit Chauhan's voice brings a good balance to the Boyss Toh Boyss Hain album in Sab Kuch Badal Gaya. This song literally begins with all clouds. It is starts of light and airy with a light flute beat, then  builds an inspirational sounding romance song. However, it is interrupted by a voice singing in English, Sayanthi-Shailendra. This spoils the song for only momentarily, until violins and sweet pianos come to the rescue. This is a different kind of song, and not something to be ignored. 3.5/5

Coffee Shop Mein is a song you would expect from a movie called Boyss Toh Boyss Hain. Shashaa Tirupathi's voice is seductive in this entertaining Hinglish number. This is a fast paced number flows rapturously, but there is not necessarily a hook, since the whole song is it a hook itself. 3/5

The composers pull Sunidhi Chauhan and Anup Jalota in for the uplifting song, Dreaming. This song has a light electronic beat, and is sung in Hinglish once again. The lyrics are a little cheesy, but the vocals of both singers are truely magnificent.  Jalota's voice is reminiscent of Bollywood from the seventies and eighties, while Chauhan brings in a modern twist. 4/5

Boyss Toh Boyss Hain returns for a remix. Boyss Toh Boyss Hain Remix picks up the electronic beat and speeds it up a little. There is not a huge difference between the two. 3.5/5

For a smaller film, with mostly unknown composers, Boyss Toh Boyss Hain soundtrack is very good. The composers genuinely tried to create unusual songs while staying true to the Bollywood roots. This soundtrack can work beyond the silver screen and into your car.

My Picks: Boyss Toh Boyss Hain, Dreaming, Sab Kuch Badal Gaya, Gol Gol

Check Out My Other Reviews:
D-Day: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/d-day-music-review.html
Ramaiya Vastavaiya: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/ramaiya-vastavaiya-music-review.html
Issaq:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-review-issaq_21.html

Which is your favorite Song?
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