Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’s Jalte Diye has a nice, endearing melody that composer Himesh Reshammiya sets to a folkbased dance-y arrangement (which sort of applies to most of the movie’s songs) and gets a bunch of talented singers to deliver -Harshdeep Kaur, Anwesha (who sounds quite like Shreya Ghoshal), Vineet Singh (remarkably Sonu Nigam-like in his singing) and Shadab Sabri - all of whom do their job really well. Prem Leela has Vineet joined by another competent singer Aman Trikha. The tune sounds a tad familiar, but the percussion-heavy arrangement is lively enough to mitigate that, making the track a decent listen. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (a bit of which appeared on the trailer) features another remarkably Shreya-like voice, that of Palak Muchhal. The song starts off promisingly with a free-form prelude that is nailed by Palak, before the not-so-impressive main song kicks in. Halo Re is yet another dance track that grows wearisome on repeated listens owing to the dated 90s sound. Good singing yet again, by Aman Trikha. Jab Tum Chaho is further down in the order of preference, for being even stronger on those yesteryear elements. This one has Palak Muchhal, Mohammad Irfan and Darshan Raval behind the mic.
Aaj Unse Milna Hai is the most 90s sounding song (and the better one) of the lot, the only thing it is missing is Kumar Sanu or Udit Narayan on vocals. Shaan makes for a fairly convincing stand-in though. Evidently a central piece of the soundtrack, given how it has two more versions - one a female led version sung by Palak Muchhal and Aishwarya Majumdar titled Aaj Unse Kehna Hai that segues halfway through into the title track. The third version is a much shorter, slower one that accentuates the melancholic aspect with some dramatic orchestral elements. Himesh seems to channel his orchestration from Balma (Khiladi 786) in Tod Tadaiyya, the closest to an item number in an otherwise Barjatya-brand soundtrack. The song features Neeraj Sridhar and Neeti Mohan who do well as expected, the song works more as a respite from the increasingly repetitive sound of the album. The composer himself does a patchy rendition of Bachpan Kahaan. This album may be a big hit with people who love the 90s Bollywood melodies, but this is a soundtrack dominated by dated sounds.
(Vipin Nair blogs at www.musicaloud. com)
Music Aloud Rating: 6.5/10
Top Recos: Jalte Diye, Bachpan Kahaan, Aaj Unse Milna Hai