Music review of Naqaab

Any music album from an Abbas-Mustan movie is definitely a must buy for all music buffs. Most of the music directors who have till now composed for their movies, have given some memorable, classy, breezy and hit music. Be it Jatin-Lalit in ‘Khiladi’, Anu Malik in ‘Baazigar’ and ‘Ajnabee’ or Himesh Reshammiya with his hattrick of hits like ‘Aitraaz’, ‘Humraaz’ or ‘36 China Town’. For this particular album, the Tauranis have entrusted the very lucky music director Pritam with the responsibility, who fresh from the success of ‘Metro’, is the flavour of the season. Let us see if he will be able to repeat the success of the above mentioned composers.
Some superb guitaring commences the delirious romantic number, ‘Ek Din Teri Raahon’. It was evident from the first promo of this song that Pritam has definitely done his homework, as this is an outstanding number with a trademark Abbas-Mustan tune. Javed Ali, who we first heard in the still-rocking ‘Kajra Re’ (’Bunty Aur Babli’), simply excels, both in high-pitched as well as normal singing. Even K.K. who excels in such type of singing, would be proud of Javed. Sameer comes up with some lovely, situational lyrics which sum up the feelings of a person who is unable to express his love ( to the beloved), to perfection - “Ek din teri raahon mein, Baahon mein, Nigahon mein, Aaoonga, Kho jaaoonga, Ek din tera ho jaaoonga, Ye dil to na kah saka jaane-jaana, Ye dil to na kah saka.” Over all an excellent composition first up.
Next up is ‘Ek Din Teri Raahon-Remix, by A-Myth Sharma. It is definitely a good one, with the racier rhythm, speedy background synthesized piece and beats/rhythm. Zubin, whose number ‘Teri Tamanna’ (’The Train’) is still burning the dance floors, adds extra zing to the song with his reverberating vocals and a more sensitive singing.
Soft female whisperings giving the mystery element touch along with croonings, blended with some lovely guitaring, commences ‘Aye Dil Paagal Mere’. There are three versions of this song. One remixed and the original is by Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi sings the second remixed version.
It’s a treat to hear the now selective Sonu once again, after a standout performance in the title track of ‘Apne’. This racy threesome, situational dance track number comes alive with Sonu’s full-of-feelings and innovative rendition. Pritam’s guitaring, just like his recent movies (’Gangster’ and ‘Metro’) is simply mindblasting. In fact, it will not be an overstatement to say that at present Pritam is the best as far as guitar based melodies are concerned. Sameer too is in top form once again with some matter of fact and very fit-to-the-situation lyrics - “Khushi hai to, Ranjhish bhi hai, Milan hai to bandish bhi hai”.
‘Aye Dil Paagal Mere-Remix’, rendered by Sonu, is an ordinary effort with the same heightened pace and beats. Sonu sings in a high pitch throughout and is good as usual.
‘Aye Dil Paagal Mere-Remix’, rendered by the highly versatile Sunidhi is the better than the Sonu version, more due to Sunidhi’s unique singing. Her husky croonings give the song the seductive touch and add to the mystery.
Excellent drummings, Arabic vocals & music, kickstart ‘Aa Dil Se Dil Mila Le’. Another lovely dance track, where Pritam has fused an Arabian tune with the Geeta Dutt classic ‘Aye Dil Mujhe Bata De’('Bhai Bhai’). Lovely musical arrangements adorn this tense, situational dance track. Krishna excels in this track ( his forte) and Alisha Chinai is perfect.
‘Aa Dil Se Dil Mila Le-Remix’ by Jatin Sharma is again racier (thankfully not too much), with some rap sounds, dispersed vocals and added orchestra. The Arabic influence which was omnipresent in the original is lesser here.
As the tag-line of the movie ‘Naqaab’ is - Disguised Intensions, the next track can be classified as the theme number. Superfast rhythm and keyboard sounds commence ‘Disguised Intensions’. The thriller, suspence and edge-of-the-seat element comes across beautifully. The fusion of the track ‘Aye Dil Paagal Mere Dil’ with Latino lyrics and music and the female croonings, set the adrenalin pumping, spicing it with the thriller touch. And one really starts looking forward to the movie.
All in all, Pritam has done a wonderful job here. Though there are just three proper songs but all of them are top-class. Pritam is definitely a worthy successor to those famous music directors like Jatin-Lalit, Anu Malik and Himesh. And manages to convey the feelings of excitement, mystery and thrill through his compositions, the type we look for in an Abbas Mustan movie. The audio sales will pick up significantly (like all Abbas-Mustan movies) once ‘Naqaab’ releases on July 13.

From Bollyvista. Good music can only make it smoother for the movie to work.