Wake Up Sid Music Review

EXPECTATIONS

Bollywood is smiling again. While last few weeks have seen quite a few successful films making money at theaters, even for music lovers there has been a lot in the offering. Love Aaj Kal, Kaminey, Jashnn, Teree Sang - there have been number of well made soundtracks that have hit the stands. No wonder, when Wake Up Sid announces it's arrival, you know for sure that it would be one quality album. Karan Johar, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Javed Akhtar, Ranbir Kapoor - reasons are aplenty to have really good expectations from the musical score here.

MUSIC

The moment one hears the sound of guitar with Shankar Mahadevan appearing behind the mike with some soft rendition, you know that you are entering a youthful zone. Add to that the gradual built up that the composer trio brings to the title song 'Wake Up Sid' and you know for sure that it's the sound of Dil Chahta Hai revisited. Does one mind that? Not at all, especially so with Loy Mendonsa's back up vocals interspersed well to add zing through the catch words - Wake Up Sid!

The 'Club Mix' version starts with the sound of a clock ticking and goes well with the song's theme. Otherwise, there isn't any drastic change in either the flow or the rhythm with the only difference being that this version is a little more upbeat than the original.

One would have thought that Shankar Mahadevan would have reserved the title song as the best in the album. However, there is a surprise in store with Clinton Cerejo bagging the best of the lot as he goes solo with 'Kya Karoon? '. A lively number that has 'youth appeal' written all over it, 'Kya Karoon? ' is urban and contemporary with the proceedings being innocent rather than taking an attitude route. A smooth sailing number that takes the listener through the mood of the protagonist who is still trying to explore his life, 'Kya Karoon? ' has Dominique Cerejo and Loy Mendonsa as the backup vocalists.

Shankar Mahadevan returns with the solo 'Aaj Kal Zindagi' which instantly succeeds in reminding of 'Kaisi Hai Ye Rut' [Dil Chahta Hai]. Just like the title song, this one too begins slowly and picks on momentum a minute later. As is expected from the song belonging to this genre, 'Aaj Kal Zindagi' too has Javed Akhtar spinning a poetic tale. The song belongs to the kind which is created for the background and would appeal mainly to those who want their music to be soft.

Guest composer Amit Trivedi, who gave a brilliant start to 2009 with his music for Dev D, comes up with yet another terrific song 'Iktara'. A soft number that tells the story of two individuals gradually getting close to each other, 'Iktara' has Kavita Seth as the vocalist whose voice brings in a fresh appeal in the current Bollywood scene. Amitabh Bhattacharya is her partner in the song and he further enhances the overall effect that 'Iktara' manages to create.

The mood of the album continues to be consistent song after song and never once are there any ups and downs that could potentially break the flow of Wake Up Sid. Yet another poetic number that has a soft rock feel to it, 'Life Is Crazy' reminds one of the kind of sound that Rock On carried. Uday Benegal and Shankar Mahadevan get together for this track with Loy Mendonsa and Alyssa Mendonsa helping as backup vocalists. This number too carries good potential with it and it would have to be seen how the song is presented on screen.

OVERALL

Though Wake Up Sid is a Karan Johar production, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy come up with the kind of soundtrack that would have been gladly accepted by Farhan Akhtar. This is understandable since the film's subject and the new age sensibilities of first time director Ayan Mukerji are such that Sid's world is bound to look and feel the way it is done through the tunes of the composer trio. This may not really turn out to be the best seller of the year but should certainly be a perfect fit for the narrative.

OUR PICK(S)

'Kya Karoon?', 'Iktara', 'Wake Up Sid'