Hanuman

I am back once more, with a music review of an album where the music is not done by any of my favorites :)
I must say, I bought the CD purely on the cuteness of the little hanuman. And I have not been disappointed.
Let’s start then ...
Mahabali Maharudra: So many of my favorite voices, Kailash Kher, KK, Shaan, Palash Sen, Madhushree, Sneha Pant and alas Sonu Nigam. It starts with khadal and manjera and the chants from hanuman chalissa. The thunder and lightning as the music picks up and ebbs. The mix of voices is magical. The words, Mahabali maharudra shauravaan .. hanuman. The track does justice to each of the voices, it is grand and magnificent, my favorite track so far.

Jay Hanuman: Two voices I never thought I'd hear together, Kailash Kher and Shankar Mahadevan. So different and yet they go so well together. The hunger in Kailash Kher’s voice fits the supplicatatory note required for this song. It is a spin on the hanuman chalissa- Jay hanuman gyan goon sagar, Jay kapish theun lok ujaagar. The song has repetitive meter, the four lines cycle back over and over, it could have been monotonous, but the richness, interplay of vocal contrast from the two singers and the semi-classical taan's in the background, which add a dimension to the song, lift it from the ordinary to memorable.
Akdam Bakdam: The exploits of little hanuman, as he flies thru the sky and creates all kinds of mischief. Sung by shravan. Reminiscent of the jungle book song ' chaadi pahen ke phool khila hai'. The hyper active song with nonsensical lyrics ( akdam bakdam) is so far uma's favorite song and I can see why :).

Jay Bajrangbali: Baby hanuman's exploits continued. Sung by Palash Sen and Kinshuk Sen. The lyrics stray a little bit from the traditional in this... Sabse solid gada kiski../ yeh magic poonch bhi hai uski ... sing it kid! Lovely mix of classical/ pop. Very euphoria and very Palash Sen( even has 'dhoom pichuk dhoom' in it ). Very nice and utterly danceable.

Hanuman theme: it does a great job of mixing the tranquil bits with the crazy high energy bits. Chorus and taan's in the background with jaal tarang and trumpet, mostly synthesized music, but blends in the transitions and seemingly opposing elements well.

Hanuman Chalissa:( Vijay Prakash, Nandini, Rashmi) The only piece that could qualify as the old school devotional music. The verse of Hanuman Chalissa is very well adapted. The rendition is lovely, with clear enunciation and the background theme (mostly taans by the female half of the vocals and some chants) add a nice dimension to the number.

Destroying Ashok Vatika: very nice, I can almost see Hanumna jumping around destroying the places, uprooting the tree... bam bam bajrang bali :)
Bridge across the Ocean: slightly serious and somber tone with chants of jai shri ram. Nice.
The war begins: somber to signify a marching army perhaps.
Kumbkaran: interesting, with the resounding drum beat to mirror foot steps?
Ravan goes to war: Very tantric, with the invocations to the Mahadev Shambhu, Lord shiva. Suitably ominous and the lone conch shell at the end. Very nice.

The music is by Tapas Relia. Impressive. The music is not very complex or subtle, most of the number have a couple themes which are laid out with simplicity. The numbers are short enough to not become tedious and repetitive. The voices are well used. The music is energetic and well arranged. He definitely has used the best vocal talent around. I am not sure I am ready to add the guy to my favorites list yet, He has potential, I was impressed but not quite blown away. I am buying his next album. The jury is out still :)
The lyrics by Satish Mutatkar are mostly amalgamation of Hanuman chalissa and Hanuman astak, which take me back to my childhood (I could recite in entirety by the time I was 6-7 years old). He has held true to the words, and any additions and manipulations sound suitably supplicatory, joyous or ominous as the mood demands. Very nicely done.