Music Review: ‘Bang Bang’

The much awaited glamour packed ��Bang Bang�۪ starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif is heading out to the screens very soon. With Siddharth Anand behind the lens, this is definitely going to be a film loved by the young, hip and vibrant Bollywood lovers across the nations just like his previous projects including ��Salaam Namaste�۪ (2005), ��Bachna Ae Haseeno�۪ (2008) and ��Anjaana Anjaani�۪ (2010). Maybe not super hits, but Siddharth sure knows how to hit the right notes with his audience. With the talent powerhouse of Hrithik and the beauty of Katrina in his frame, ��Bang Bang�۪ could be the one to watch this October leading up to Diwali. The music of all Siddharth Anand films have always been successful on the charts and the expectations are exactly the same with this project considering Vishal-Shekhar are leading the project with Anvita Dutt Guptan doing some of the lyrics while Vishal has written the rest himself. With the right team this music duo never fails in producing the hits and with the brains of Siddharth behind them it should possibly be all hits on this album.

Tu Meri is perhaps the biggest music video on music channels at the moment with Hrithik delivering his magic on screen with his amazing moves. But the great moves could not be possible without the top music on this song that gradually evolves from a soft romantic ballad to a top club tune on a strong electronic drum beat. This song is as amazing as it is all thanks to the brilliance of Vishal who was written, sung and also done the music with Shekhar by his side. His voice is sheer perfection and his strong control with a husky touch that gives it a good 2014 vibe making this a really cool song to have it blaring through the speakers. The lyrics make you wonder why Vishal doesn�۪t do this on a full time basis as well as he has managed to strike a perfect balance in making this a commercially successful and critically pleasing as well with good romantic verses. The chorus is the main crux of the song that will stick around on toungues like an addiction. This is a sure shot hit of the season!

London boy Ash King along with Shilpa Rao brings Anvita Dutt Guptan and Kumaar�۪s poetry alive in Meherbaan. This romantic number is classic in ways and super sweet and pleasing to the ears. The soft melodious voice of Ash King on top of harmonic musical instrumentation makes this a really good listen. Shilpa does a good job too but doesn�۪t seem to complement Ash�۪s voice too well. The lyrics are really good but complex in many ways making this a difficult song to sing along too and thus reduces its commercial value a little, but that does not reduce the brilliance of this song. The deep lyrical complexities force Vishal-Shekhar to play around with the arrangement of this song and use a number of instruments to move through the verses and sub-verses before it hits the choruses. Due credit to Ash King for taking vocal control of this song! This is a very good song and quite a difficult one in aspects of its composition and lyrics.

Uff is yet another romantic song written by Anvita Dutt that is more urban and perfect for the young audience that Siddharth�۪s movies attract. Her lyrics are modern but cool and hummable. What is most striking about this song is that the vocals seem to be from one of the new age female vocalists but it actually is classical and Punjabi sufi singer Harshdeep Kaur. It doesn�۪t sound like anything she has ever done before and it is quite refreshing to hear her in a new style and format that really does suit her and she delivers a really good performance with some support from Benny Dayal. It is a female lead cute romantic number and thus Benny�۪s role is limited which is a shame as he is always brilliant to hear. Musically Vishal-Shekhar keep it simple and sweet with a chirpy element to it allowing Harshdeep to take the complete lead on the song. It�۪s commercial success will be limited overall as it is not really innovative but it is a good song to listen to overall.

Perhaps the grooviest number this year, Bang Bang in the voices of the king of groove – Benny Dayal and Neeti Mohan is the one to listen to on repeat. This 70s disco style song is purely inspired by the legend of Michael Jackson and Hrithik seems to have had a lot of fun doing the King of Pop�۪s dance moves in the video. Vishal-Shekhar have designed the beats with some amazing bass guitar riffs that would make anyone want to move be it in the club or the bedroom. Benny�۪s voice works perfectly for such a song and his voice really suits Hrithik�۪s personality on screen. Vishal has written the lyrics of this song and although they are nothing great on their own but combined with the music, visually appealing video and we have a hit record in this song. Never has a song been done in Bollywood like this so this is one to definitely check out on this album.

Shekhar must be feeling left out so he gets on the mic as the lead to do an acoustic version of Meherbaan (Reprise version). The Spanish guitar work on this song is just wonderful and even more brilliantly recorded. It is a difficult one to decide whose vocals work better on this song but Shekhar makes his own place in this version that stands out from the earlier one and is worth listening to as well.

FINAL WORD

As expected Siddharth Anand and Vishal-Shekhar do not disappoint in any way. The album does what it says on the cover and creates a Bang! Each song is well recorded and is technically and musically sound in all aspects including vocal performances, instrumentation, lyrics, arrangements, melodies and business aspects of the song. Going from Michael Jackson disco to the 2014 club style tunes to classic romantics, ��Bang Bang�۪ has it all. Furthermore when you have Hrithik and Katrina pairing on screen for the songs there is magic waiting at the corner to happen. Each song has capability of becoming hit records on their own and elevating the position of the OST together as well. Benny Dayal and Vishal Dadlani are the show stealers while Ash King and Neeti Mohan melt hearts around. Anvita Dutt is a lyrical force of the future to reckon with proves her deep knowledge of poetry and commercial aspects. Overall this album is a keeper and leaves you wanting more tracks on the OST. But keeping it short and sweet, ��Bang Bang�۪ is about quality and not quantity.