(This article is sponsored by Sounds of India)

Musical genius AR Rahman’s Tehzeeb, presents quirkily experimental instrumentation, including unconventional percussion. Rahman combines an eclectic mix of the traditional sound of ghazals with a contemporary popular feel.

Tehzeeb, offers a mixed bag of melodies, some good, some mediocre and a couple of wince-inducing duds.
Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are soft and pleasing, quite unlike, thankfully, the “kal ho naho’ fiasco.
Incidentally, the movie Tehzeeb, by Khalid Mohammad (Fiza), has a dazzling star presence. It boasts the talents of Urmila Matondkar, Shabana Azmi, Arjun Rampal, Diya Mirza and Rishi Kapoor (special appearance).

Shaan sings the opening track, Shad Azimabadi’s ‘Khoyee Khoyee Aankhen’, in his usual gung ho style. At first listen, it is hard to recognize as a Rahman song but it does sound better after repeated play. .

The popular ‘Meherban meherban’ by Sukhvinder and Asha Bhonsale is burning up radio waves in India but did nothing for this reviewer, who still maintains that Asha and her older sister should forget this vocation. The song itself is very Rahman, and reminds one of the joke about Rahman‘s penchant for repeating the first word of a song twice… remember “Mustafa, Mustafa”, “Urvasi Urvasi”, “Chaiyya Chaiiya”, etc.? Add to this, ‘Meherban meherban’. And in keeping with the tradition, the song is offered again on the album. As if once wasn’t enough!

The ghazals in Tehzeeb feature the surprisingly pleasing voice of Sujata Bhattacharya who sings for Shabana in the film. Both ‘Na shikwa hota’ and ‘Sabaq aisa’ sound novel and interesting. Rahman’s use of modern rhythms for traditional ghazals is pleasing to the ear. The great Momin Khan Momin’s ‘Mujhpe Toofan’ lyrics sung by Sujata deliver another winner.

‘Sabaq aisa’ has traditional lyrics adapted from the works of Dagh Dehlvi and is easily the best track in the album. Like most of AR’s work, this one tends to grow on the listener slowly but rather endearingly.

|