Jail Music Review: A Power Packed Score

Madhur Bhandarkar is ready with his next movie, 'Jail', which will promise to be just as explosive as his previous movies. Perhaps for the first time, the director seems to pay a lot more attention to the music department, a trend which started with 'Fashion'. The 'Jail' album sees Madhur using two young composers, one of which is the Sharib Toshi duo and the other is Shamir Tandon, each of who compose two numbers each. While Tandon relies heavily on the Lata number, Sharib Toshi impress with their energy and impassioned style of singing. The music has a very young and contemporary feel to it with a very predominant rock influence. There are four numbers in the album, and three remixes, all of which go ahead to make this a very interesting album, one which definitely makes for compulsive hearing. However, the highlight of this album is definitely the Lata Mangeshkar number, which is quite a coup for both the director and the composer.

The album opens with the Sahrib Toshi number, 'Sainya Ve', the music and the lyrics for which have been composed by the duo. Toshi does the honors here and does an extremely good job of it. The young singer has an extremely passionate approach to his music and that is reflected in this number as well. The number has been composed in their signature style of mixing Sufi elements with rock. The fusion is not just interesting, it also has the ability to carry the listener along with it. There is something quite mesmerizing about the fusion that they come up with. The number occurs thrice in the album, once in a rock version and the lastly, as a remix. But it is definitely the rock version which seems to sweep the listener along. The number has been sung by both Toshi and his brother Sharib, along with actor, Neil Nitin Mukesh. The trio's passionate, high voltage rendering should really make this version of 'Sainya Ve' a chartbuster.

The second number of this album has been composed by Sharib Toshi and penned by Sharib Turaz. And this time it is not Toshi, but Sharib who takes care of the vocals. The opening bit of the music is quite spell bounding in the manner in which the composers use the guitar. Sharib carries the same passionate feel for music in his voice and he does a superb job, perhaps even a notch higher than the Toshi number. The lyrics have been very well written indeed, thus lending even more power to the number.

The third number on the album is titled 'Bareily Ke Bazar mein', the opening line being taken from the old film song, 'Jhumka Gira Re' which had yesteryear actress Sadhana dancing to the number. Thankfully, this number has nothing in common with that golden number except for its opening line. Of course! the mood of both numbers is quite similar as they both have a playful touch to them and both are dance numbers. The song also goes ahead to borrow another line from yet another old number, 'Pallo Latke Re Maro Pallo Latke'. But one has to hand it to Tandon, who manages to fuse these varying elements in his track quite seamlessly. The number has been sung by Sonu Kakkar with music by Tandon and lyrics by Sandeep Nath. But what stands out in this number is not the rendition by Kakkar but the male singer who brings up the chorus with the refrain 'Bareily Ke Bazaar Mein'. That refrain is what really lifts this number, which would otherwise have been dismissed as an ordinary number. The male singer's energy is what imparts a special touch to this number. This number too has a remixed version to it as well.

'Data Sun Le', the Lata Mangeshkar number, is definitely the USP of this album. She rarely consents to sing these days, and therefore it is quite an honor that Madhur has managed to get India's nightingale to sing the devotional number for his movie, the lyrics of the number have been penned by Ajay Kumar Garg. Lata is note perfect as always and it is quite a moving experience to hear her lend her voice to this number. It is a slow, devotional number, steeped in Bhakti ras and who better than Lata to sing it. Her voice effortlessly glides through the number, evoking just the right kind of emotion. The nightingale may have aged, but her rendition is a class act and serves as a lesson to the younger breed of singers. Tandon collaborates fantastically with the singer with appropriate music, giving it an air of solemnity. Lata's vocal do the rest. One is sure that Madhur will have used this number very effectively in his film and the visuals are only bound to add to the appeal of the number. If not for its music, than at least for sentimental reasons, this number is, bound to become a favorite with most lovers of Hindi film music.

Madhur has definitely managed to get a truly eclectic score for his latest movie. The music has been well thought out and has a power and appeal of its own, over and above the movie for which it has been composed. Of course! watching the songs along with, and within the context of the film, will definitely be an experience to savor. Tandon's second number is perhaps the only weak link in this album, but with Lata leading the way and Toshi and Sharib roaring ahead, the music of 'Jail' is definitely a winner.