Radio - Himesh's tour de force?? Hell Yeah!!

This is 2010, a new year; agreed. And ideally, I should only be taking of the films that released or I saw this year. But I just can't ignore the criminally over-looked sound-track that was a part of 2009.

In the last month of the last decade, Amongst all the Paas, Avatars and their idiocy, came a small budget film with supposedly one of the biggest stars of the country. Now this star apparently has unbelievable fan following among the masses and equally astonishing hate club otherwise.

So what happens when a Star of such stature fails to cater to his core audience? A decent enough film like Radio bombs like no other movie that year, unfortunately wiping all the traces of its marvellous, and more importantly - straight-from-the-heart Music the film could boast of.

Radio does for Himesh what Swades did for SRK - Prove that He can he really really good if he actually wants to be. And despite all the experimentation done with the music pieces and composition, One can say Himesh is one of the fewer Music directors today who retains the soul of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal school of

music in our films.

I always believed that Himesh is a self-centred composer when he is singing. And that’s why it surprised me the most to see how he took a back-seat for more than 1 song in this album.

In that context, 'Piya Jaise Ladoo' is a clear winner. Rekha Vishal's vocals are touching, and so is the idea of the song.

(That reminds me of the pathetic decision to use its remix in the film, which didn't help the cause anyways. The original could've been a real heart-breaker in its place)

The biggest thing this sound-track does For me is that it captures the innumerable moods of Love. Apart from the crowd-pleasing 'Zindagi Jaise Ek Radio' (which surprisingly fit fantastically in the tragicomical parts of the film's first half), Every other composition is so sincere that You can't help your heart go out to it.

The Blossoming of a relationship, the longingness for your beloved, the pain of a broken heart, the thoughts of a heart seeking some love - Its all there, wrapped in very neatly carved tunes.. without any excess or

over-zealous decorating music pieces.

The calypso-beats of 'Rafa Dafa kiya nahi jaaye' set it apart from any other love song last year. The fact that it has some truly heart-warming lines only helps us connect to it better.

A Song like 'Mann ka Radio' is the sort Himesh has almost specialised in last 4-5 years. Sad at core, but full of foot-tapping music. And yet, its beats are a tad different from what we usually hear from him. I esp. love the way the techno-beats overtake after the mukhda ends. Great stuff!

On a total contrast, 'Damaad ji' is a total fun song with genuine feel-good music and singing. Kailash Kher is brilliant here.

Another thing that surprised me was how well Himesh blended his earthy voice with the mellifluous vocals by Shreya Ghoshal - in not 1, 2.. but 4 great romantic numbers!!

For those who keep harping about Himesh's nasal twang, they have to listen to the sheer simplicity with which Himesh rendered these songs.

These 4 love dittys, namely 'Jaan e mann', 'Shaam ho Chali Hai', 'Koi na Koi Chahe' and 'Teri Meri Dosti ka Aasman' have romance written all over them.

And they are not regular love songs. There is an affecting sense of melancholy and nostalgia (the way you feel When you remember your past with your beloved) seeped in their composition and heart-felt lyrics.

And yet they make you feel good about being in Love. :)

That’s exactly the brief One can give about Radio’s Music. Its Heart-felt, Emotional and Enjoayble. And It certainly wouldn’t be wrong to say that This is the best music He has produced in a long, long time!

P.S. – This is for a friend who, in my knowledge and experience, is the biggest admirer of Himesh Reshmiyya.

I am not a big fan of Himesh’s work, but this is one album which I really like. And Hence, It deserved a review.. even from a lazy bum like me. :)