Speed Music Review

By: Faridoon Shahryar, IndiaFM
Friday, June 22, 2007
Is Pritam going the Himesh Reshammiya way? No, we are not talking about the quality of their music. But the manner in which man-with-the-cap had stepped up the number game in the second half of last year has been matched by Pritam in the first half of 2007. Now, he is a fine composer (no we are not commenting on his plagiaristic ways) but overwork stifles creativity. And that's exactly what's happening in Pritam's case. The music of Speed is a testimony to that. Why? Read on to find out...

If Upen Patel made his mobile number famous in 36 China Town, then Hello is an open invitation for some news-breaking moments on tabloid friendly news channels. For a 982....something number forms the hookline of this adrenaline pumping number that has been sung with a fantastic energy by Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan. Breathlessly fast rhythm designing, techno fillers, drums rolls at strategic places, disco bass and keyboard fillers make for the music arrangements.

A coquettish female voice sounds bothered on the phone (though she may well be enjoying all the attention) making for interesting listening. Hello is a number that is perfect for a fun-night-out with friends in the neighbourhood disc or for a Red Bull ride in a convertible car on the monsoon roads of excitement. Any comparisons with Lionel Richie's Hello...Well...don't bother...

I wanna wanna wanna take you home with me....right now...somehow...This cute little desperate cry has been showcased with the right kind of fun-sprinkled-energy in the foot-tapping rhythm designing, innocent flute sections and playful keyboard fillers. Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan's reeking-with-sensuousness vocals gravitate between high and middle-lower octave. Wanna Wanna is a party number that sounds good till it lasts. Nothing extraordinary. Sometimes fun has limited dimensions...

A grungy sound begins the proceedings in Tikhi Tikhi. Oho Oho...O Dil Janiya...An unknown Joy....Uhm...lemme clarify...Joy is the name of the singer. And no he isn't all that joy to listen to. The hookline Tikhi Tikhi Tikhi is somewhat catchy but the rappin-n-groovin fails to bind your attention. O Humdum want you by my side....oho...Mere Soniya....O dil janiya....Also the experimentation with Hinglish isn't spicy enough either for you to check out this number again and again. In other words it's nothing but a rehashed version of many other Pritam numbers that thump dime-a-dozen radio stations. It seems he is running out of ideas (or is 'inspiration' the word). Uhm...

O yeah...Swingin side by side....come on DJ....come on side by side...Another occasion when the remix version (remixed by Sachin Gupta) outdoes the original in Tikhi Tikhi Stomp Mix (whatever that means). Now, before you start jumping in excitement, this remix version is better than the original but it doesn't have the thunder power to last the fun-n-games on the dance floor. An add-on rhythm, DJ spin and techno fillers don't really create an impact if the singing is off key and you get the feeling that the sound mixing leaves something to be desired for. Strangely, Tikhi Tikhi Stomp Mix is repeated twice in the album.

Sonu Nigam is such a fantastic singer that he can make an average song sound special. That's exactly the case in Loving You that carries an oft-heard-before feel yet Sonu's versatile singing makes it better than what it is. A fast paced trendy beat, slick fillers, the cushioning effect of strings at-a-distance, cool backing vocals, a guitar melody and theek-thaak vocals of Antara Mitra forms the gist of this number. Loving You may give you a few tender moments. But that's about it. Enjoy it till it lasts.

So, as we mentioned in the beginning, a good composer (someone who churns out hit stuff on a regular basis) doesn't lose his touch even though he is producing assembly line products. But, the captivity-quotient is missing in almost all the songs after a point of time. Speed is a perfect example of that. It's a fifty-fifty album. Dial for Hello on a radio ga ga rather than buying an expensive CD.