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Music Review - American Blend

Ranjani Saigal
11/16/2006

(This article is sponsored by Sounds Of India)

Abu Malik  (brother of Anu Malik) makes his music directorial debut with American Blend featuring some of the finest singers in the industry. According to Varun Khanna the movie is not a crossover film but rather it is wholly American , except it has an Indian as the head of the family.

Coming from the Malik family expectations were sure to be high. Does Abu deliver?Reaction is mixed.

The album is long with a whopping fourteen tracks on it! The first song , perhaps the best track in the album , ‘Nach Nach Saade Naal' is the very epitome of east-west fusion. It begins with a catchy rap by Indee.  Written by Madan Pal and Indee the song has a wonderful rhythm to it. Sonu Nigam’s  vocals make this a fabulous number and it certainly will be a delight for the dance-a-holics..

After that fabulous number the next two numbers Dil Mangdi with Bali Brahmbhatt and Suzanne and ‘Dhol Baje’ with Daler Mehndi do not quite hit the spot. Dil Mangdi has some nice arrangements. It is the lyrics of Abu Malik that makes this a not-so-great number.  ‘Dhol Bhaje’ is nothing but noise..

For the classical dancers looking for new fusion ideas the Kathak Rap certainly fits the bill. Blaze, Bhairavi Shankar and Amrapali Ambegaokar come together for this experimental track. Perhaps use of complicated syllable arrangement would have made this interesting. It is not a strong number but the fusion-hungry college kids are sure to have fun with it.

The next track is simply beautiful. .A emotional love song sung in the unique Sukhwinder Singh style, Jeena Te Pyaar  penned by Madan Pal is quite a treat for the listeners. Yet another song ‘Asi Pyaar De Pujari’  by the same lyricist has Abu Malik himself behind the microphone.

Suzanne, a regular when it comes to crooning English tracks in Bollywood films, is heard rendering Indee written and sung 'Spicin' Up Your Life'. A track belonging to hip-hop genre with a dash of rap and pop thrown in, it is predominantly English and is mainly for being placed as a part of the background score.


The next number is a fast moving number ‘Aaja Aaja’ sung by Abhijeet and Suzanne. It is a mix of English and Hindi lyrics. A Wedding Medley track and a remix Engagement Medley track follow.

Abu Malik pays a tribute to the legends from the past by crooning some golden songs from the past. First to come is 'Saranga Teri Yaad Mein', a song composed by his father Sardar Malik. This is followed by eternal 'Dil Ka Haal Sune Dil Waala', a Shankar Jaikishan song while Shrikant Kulkarni is roped in for rendering 'Sun Mere Bandhu Re', a track composed by S.D. Burman.. The album ends with a purely classical rather unimpressive Kathak number

Abu Malik has tried to provide something for every one in this album. The album has a couple of fabulous tracks, but overall the album is very ordinary.  One can imagine the album making its rounds at South Asian events but not sure whether it will make a lasting impression.

 



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