Jab We Met Music Review: An All-Out Hit Album

Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met, with Pritam heading the music department, is certainly one of the better albums that have come out this year. This year has been a fairly decent one for Pritam, his compositions for Life in a Metro, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Awaraapan, were very well received by both critics and the general public. And now he has Jab We Met, which is different from Metro, easily his best this year, but packs in enough variety for it to appeal to one and all. There are at least a couple of songs which have it in them to be chartbusters.

The first number of the album, Mauja Hi Mauja sung by Mika, falls in that category. The number has a punch which is irresistible. The song is a boisterous mix of Punjabi and Western sounds. The spirited rendition by Mika should see this number light up the dance floor. Its remixed version retains the spirit of the original.

Trust Pritam to catch you offguard in the most melodic of ways. The second track, Tum Se Hi comes as real surprise as it is drastically different from Mika's number. Sung by Mohit Chauhan of Silk Route fame, the number sees the same silken touch come through. The lyrics composed by Irshad Kamil add to the simple beauty of the song. Soothing to the ears, the song has it all?it has been written very well, composed well, and the singer has just raised it to another level. The refrain of Tum Se Hi at the end is quite memorable. This is definitely one of those songs which will make its presence felt, but in a much quieter manner. Surprisingly, this track has a remixed version as well. Fortunately, it works well.

Shreya Ghoshal makes an appearance in the next number, Yeh Ishq Hai. The singer has one of the sweetest voices doing the rounds and she gives this song her trademark touch as well. This song has a fresh and youthful quality to it which is further enhanced by the heavy use of instruments in the track. Shreya's light-as-air voice does the rest. Its remixed version does not leave room for complaint.

Continuing in the same vein as Mauja Hi Mauja is Nagada Nagada sung by Sonu Nigam. The track has the same Punjabi flavour. It is high on rhythm and Sonu Nigam goes for it full blast, singing with full gusto. The number doesn't really have too much going for it, other then it's spirited rendition and general feel-good factor attached to it.

The next number which follows is in different genre. That, in fact, is the beauty of this album, the way the numbers are placed in order. No two numbers in this album are the same. Aao Milo Chalo sung by Shaan is a road song rendered most musically by him. Ustad Sultan Khan makes a brief appearance and gives the song another dimension.

Ustad Rashid Khan, a big name in Hindustani classical music, makes his entry in the album with Aaoge Jab Tum. This too is another melodious number penned sensitively by Kamil. Guest composer Sandesh Shandilya does the good work of putting all the elements together. The number begins with a proper alaap sung by Rashid Khan. It carries the same captivating charm of all good classical music. There is a sense of timelessness about this number. Khan has a very flexible voice and is able to bring out the softness as well as the depth in a song.

The album ends with an instrumental version of Tum Se Hi. It is an elaborate five-minute piece which merits a listening. Specially when the chorus and orchestra coming together give it a certain kind of grandeur.

Of all the music that he has composed this year, Life in a Metro is definitely Pritam's best, but Jab We Met will surely rank very close to it. Pritam has shown a depth and width of imagination in the manner in which he has used so many different genres and mixed them together to create a fascinating journey of music.