Rahman is back with Delhi 6!...ok so he had the FABULOUS year [every single composer wishes for] in 2008! I mean nothing went wrong for this guy [except for Ghajini to an extent]! Anyway, Rahman and Prasoon Joshi join hands one more time after the monstrously acclaimed Rang De Basanti and the mediocre Ghajini! Now, does Delhi 6 beat either one? I'm sure it will surpass Ghajini EASILY but to pass RDB is nearly IMPOSSIBLE but Rahman can do anything! So, strap yourselves down for this ride and lets see if it does.....
The album kicks off with a short poetry stanza delivered by the deep voice of Amitabh Bachchan and he does a good job obviously! It's likable if you want to stay in the feel of the album but if you're just looking to rock a song in your car, this definitely isn't it!...Verdict: 7.0/10
Now come the real tracks of the soundtrack! First, it's Masakali! WOW! What a song! As soon as you listen to the extremely promising beginning, you know this will be a CHARTBUSTER! Mohit Chauhan had become one of my favorite singers ever since his first song [Khoon Chala; which was, coincidentally, for Rahman in RDB!] and doesn't disappoint here at all! The composition by Rahman is truly GENUINE! Many of us will take time to get used to the lyrics [and the pronunciation of it] of the hook: "eh masakali masakali, oye matakali matakali"...but once it grows on you the lyrics truly are fantastic! Overall, this song will be remembered for YEARS to come and will surely go down as one of Rahman's best til date!...Verdict: STRONGLY RECOMMENDED! 9.7/10
The next song is Dil Gira Dafatan! I...am...SPEECHLESS! There's literally no vocabulary in the english dictionary to describe this AMAZING piece of work! Therefore, we'll go to hindi for a second: JHAKAASSS!!! lol...Rahman has completely outdone himself! This is one SOUL-STIRRING composition! It reminded me of Tu Bin Bataye [from RDB] with it's ability to leave you senseless with the emotional impact it hits you with! The debutante singer Ash King should DEFINITELY win the best debut singer award at various ceremonies! Yes! I'm making this decision with 11 and 1/2 more months left in the year! That's how good it is! Chinmayee's supporting vocals make it EVEN better! Joshi's lyrics leave you breathless! There's not one single line in the whole song that doesn't make you go: WOW!! That's some TRUE poetry! Full props to Joshi!!!...Verdict: STRONGLY STRONGLY RECOMMENDED! 11/10....DUHH!!!! ;]
So, after the celebration in Masakali and the romance in Dil Gira, what does Rahman pack in the next song? How about some FUSION baby! The structure and feel, and even the lyrics of the song, take you back [once again!] to RDB's tracks! The lyrics are GREAT: "yeh delhi hai mere yaar! bas ishq mohabbat pyar!"...but Blaaze's portion is what really creates the INCREDIBLE impact in the song with the high notes and the strong tone!...Verdict: STRONGLY RECOMMENDED! 10.0/10
Rehna Tu comes in next! Finalllyyyyyyy, Rahman comes behind the mic!!!! We know that EVERYTIME he decides to come with a rendition, it's MEMORABLE! and he DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! Just the first 10 seconds of the track bring a smile to your face and get you thirsting for more! What a TOUCHING composition Rahman! The way he renders "rehna tu....jaise hai tu..." hits you EVERY SINGLE TIME! Take a bow man! Now to the lyrics [because that's a HUGE part of the success this track will attain in the near future!] Prasoon gets very detailed here: "haath tham, chalna ho...toh dono ke daye haath sung kaise?...ek daya hoga, ek baya hoga! THAM LE! HAATH YEH THAM LE! chalna hai sung tham le..." Joshi gets extremely creative in this track and that's the best example as it nearly brought tears to my eyes!...Verdict: STRONGLY STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!! 11/10 :]
Arziyan is due up...I read on the info that Javed Ali and Kailash Kher were the singers of this track and I just couldn't wait to listen to it [since they're two of my favorite singers!]...BUT i was [just a little] disappointed when I actually heard it! Yes it reminds you of Khwaja and Piya Haji Ali [both of which are easily in my Top 10 Rahman songs of All-time!] but this song does not even come CLOSE to making the impact that those two did! Don't get me wrong! This is a VERY likable song but compared to those other two legendary tracks, Arziyan falls quite a bit short!...Verdict: RECOMMENDED! 8.7/10
Aarti Tumre Bhavan Mein is what the title suggests: an aarti! I wouldn't mind listening to this at a mandir [or even a house pooja] at all but I'm obviously not gonna blast in my car...the quad group do a great job in the renditions and there isn't much to say about this track but the fact that it's usage is gonna be limited...Verdict: 7.0/10
Hey Kaala Bandar! Ok! The title is VERY misleading! It reminds me of Pappu Can't Dance [from Jaane Tu...] which was great! You expect the song to be terrible because of the title but never judge a book by its cover! This song is frickin WICKED! It's extremely fun and has a great mix of TRUE indian and western styles! The four singers [Srinivas, Naresh, Karthik, and Bony] do an awesome job! They put a nice feel of youth in it! Rahman great creative with the compostion and Joshi with the lyrics! I'm not sure if the english lyrics were also written by Joshi [but no one else has been credited so...] but that's the BRIGHT highlight of the track!...Verdict: RECOMMENDED! 8.7/10...Also, a teeny weeny part of this song is taken from Rahman's own Dil Ka Rishta [from Yuvvraaj] You have to have close ears to pick it out tho!
Genda Phool is a type of "bidaai" song and you don't expect much from it but the CRAZY techno beats that Rahman interjects into the proceedings make the song quite addicting! The lyrics don't get too great as Joshi is very limited with the theme: bidaai! Rekha Bhardwaj gives an above-average rendition. Overall, listen to it for the creativity!...Verdict: RECOMMENDED! 8.2/10
The album finishes off with a COMPLETELY classical Bhor Bhaye! Rahman just keeps on expanding his repertoire but I'm not a HUGE fan of classical music unless it's mixed with a few modern influences! I guess Rahman attempts to get the younger generation to get back to their roots BUT im sorry! I can't! The song is worth a listen tho because of the difficulty level the renditions have! The "harqats" by the two singers [Shreya Ghosal and Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan] are UNBELIEVABLE! Overall, the song won't appeal to a large group of people...but the classical lovers will definitely have a blast!...Verdict: 7.7/10
Overall, Delhi 6 is simply MIND-BLOWINGGGG!!!! Every song brings something different and it's brought in the right manner by Rahman, Joshi, and the singers! Honestly tho, this album does not surpass the GROUND-SHATTERING Rang De Basanti! Delhi 6's best tracks [Masakali, Dil Gira Dafatan, Rehna Tu, and Delhi 6] do not FULLY match up to RDB's best [Rang De Basanti, Luka Chuppi, Khalbali, Roobaroo, Tu Bin Bataye, and Khoon Chala!] It comes close but RDB definitely wins! But as scary as it sounds, Delhi 6 will go down as one of Rahman's BEST albums! And it's even scarier that this man still has A LOT MORE TO OFFER IN THE FUTURE!!!!!!! So, to sum it up, go buy this soundtrack...NOW! It's worth more than just $!