Pritam has another wining album in Kabir Khan's New York. Quite like the name of the movie, the music is refreshing, urbane and breezy. The lyrics of the album have been written by newcomer Sandeep Shrivastava. The numbers of the album traverse an eclectic mix beginning from soft rock to traditional Sufi.
The album begins with the number 'Hai Junoon', a number that has been sung by KK. This is a number which has been used as in the film's promotional video. This is an apt number for the promos as it has as a very exuberant and youthful feel to it and is a wonderful opener to the album as well as the movie. It has a remix version (Julius Packman) as well and one has to say that both versions work very well indeed. This is one of those kind of songs which see a perfect blending of words and music, with both enhancing the other. And the final, masterly touch is imparted by none other than KK, who is in terrific form with this number.
Sunidhi Chauhan is up next with a solo titled, 'Mere Sang'. This song, like the first, has a profound Western influence. It is a breezy number with a soft rock feel to it and Sunidhi excels in her rendition. It is the kind of song whose appeal is likely to be enhanced by the manner in which it is picturised. The lyrics by Shrivastava suit the mood, Pritam applies just the right touch and uses just the right singer for the job.
But one of the real gems of this album is perhaps this next number which is sung by Mohit Chauhan, called 'Tune Jo Na Kaha'. It is an immensely romantic number which h begins with Mohit's trademark humming before the song unfolds. The feel of this song is quite laidback. It is more in the nature of wistful musings and there is probably no voice better suited for this task than Mohit's. It is a very muted number, which has been written very well by Shrivastava.
The next track on the album is a traditional Sufi number sung and composed by Pankaj Awasthi with lyrics by Junaid Wasi. 'Aye Saaye Mere' takes a different route as it is the only traditional number of the album. While the lyrics are quite powerful, the song, however, lacks punch. It is good for a one-time listen only.
There are two more tracks in the album, both of which have been composed by Julius Packman. One of them is the 'New York Theme' which is a pure instrumental number. The second number is called 'Sam's Theme', which has been hummed by Caralisa Monteiro and is a slow, profoundly moving piece of music.
The music of New York is different from the kind of stuff that Pritam generally churns out. The music is much more muted, cosmopolitan and is very situational. Agreed, there are no chartbusters here, except perhaps for the opening, 'Hai Junoon', which is quite a rocking number, but that does not say anything about the quality of the music. It is the kind of music which will grow on you everytime, specially, 'Hai Junoon' and "Tune Jo Kaha'. Pritam has done a great job with New York. He has given music which is not your usual run of the mill types. But, yes, it will probably have a more niche audience.
