Music Review: Say Yes To Love

‘Now where did this one come from?’ – That’s the question that comes to one’s mind on finding an album that goes by the name of Say Yes To Love. With an unknown cast and director, the only redeeming factor happens to be composer Jatin Pandit here. Though it has been ages since he delivered a hit album in entirety (save for a solitary number here or there that have worked), one still expects the one half of Jatin- Lalit who were in the top league during the 90s. Trusting him to deliver the goods, one plays on Say Yes To Love which has lyrics by Jalees Sherwani.

MUSIC

The very opening note of ‘Jab Se Dekha Hai Tujhe‘ makes it crystal clear that this is a song that would most definitely have been composed in the mid-90s. Reminding of ‘Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaaoon‘ [Yes Boss] which was quite a chartbuster back then, this one too is not a bad hear at all if nostalgia is what drives you as a music lover. Sung by Shaan and Khushi, this song clearly belongs to the campus setting of the era gone by and is strictly for those who vouch for music from those times. Even arrangements have an old world feel to them which means for the current generation, it may sound a bit outdated.

Shaan gets a solo for himself in the form of ‘Koi Kaam Aisa Kar Du‘ which further confirms that these are indeed songs from the past. A song where a grown up son is singing praises for his dad and promises to do something worthwhile in life that would make him proud, it has a party setting to it and comes with a situational appeal.

The song that does end up making the best impression though is ‘Tum Pe Hi Marta Hai‘. Belonging to the times when Sonu was just Sonu Nigam and not Nigaaam or Niiiigam or any other numerological corrected name, ‘Tum Pe Hi…’ has love written all over it and is the kind that would touch the hearts of those in love. Boasting of a beautiful melody that belongs to the timeless variety and could well be associated with the likes of Mohd. Rafi as well, ‘Tum Pe Hi…’ is soulful with the kind of lyrics that never fail despite being repeated in dozens of films.

Soft start of ‘Aaj Ye Bewajah‘ ensures one thing that it isn’t an item number in the offering despite Sunishi Chauhan at the helm of affairs. A song that is seemingly set in the night and has a tone of seduction to it, ‘Aaj Ye Bewajah‘ adds on to the mid-90s setting of the soundtrack. By now you have pretty much adjusted to the fact that Say Yes To Love is vintage Jatin-Lalit score even though it’s only Jatin at the helm of affairs here. This means that while for many those unknown to their work from the past may not be too excited, for a select few it is a good enough offering in today’s club centric offerings.

You are quite certain though that Sunidhi would get into an item girl mode with a song that goes by the title ‘Dhoondhoo Mahfilon Mein Wo Jawan‘. Thankfully though this isn’t quite the case as this one is almost an extension of ‘Aaj Ye Bewajah‘ in terms of feel and flavour. Though this one is more about a girl’s hunt for the love of her life instead of being seductive in appeal, the song does manage to hold its ground and ends up keeping you reasonably entertained. Also, it is a delight to hear Sunidhi in a mode that she is getting way too less these days.

Jatin Pandit decided to bring himself behind the mike with ‘Yaadein Tere Naam‘ which has a 70s feel to it and stays truly ‘desi’ right through its five minutes duration. A dard-e-judaai number that should do well as a part of the film’s background score, it stays on to be core Indian in its presentation and is untouched by Western influences.

The sound of piano at the beginning of ‘Jinka Asar Kab Se Hai‘ makes you sure that Sonu Nigam would enjoy his yet another solo outing in the album all over again. Add to this the orchestra that begins soon after which further consolidates the fact that it is music of the yore which is in the offering here. Even though this one Vinu Mahendra written number is the shortest song in the album and lasts less than three minutes, it does manage to make its presence felt and should do well in the film.

The longer version of the song appears as ‘Ye Zindagi‘ and this time around you do get a sense of completeness. Everything right from the music to lyrics and especially singing by Sonu Nigam makes this a track that would have been lapped up had it been released in the 90s. Sonu is joined by Pritha Majumdar who lends him good support and gives a good account of herself.

OVERALL

Say Yes To Love is not a bad soundtrack at all. Yes, it is a decade and a half too late but that’s the very reason it could well be picked up by those who loved their music of the 90s. Given the fact that there has been no promotion whatsoever for the film or the album so far, the going would be quite tough for this album to make a mark. However for the generation that is unfamiliar with Jatin Pandit, it is time to listen to songs like ‘Tum Pe Hi Marta Hai’, ‘Ye Zindagi‘ and ‘Jab Se Dekha Hai Tujhe‘ to know what he is truly capable of.

OUR PICK(S)

Tum Pe Hi Marta Hai, Ye Zindagi, Jab Se Dekha Hai Tujhe, Aaj Ye Bewajah