Music Review: No One Killed Jessica

EXPECTATIONS This is one album that I really wanted to pick up from the stands. The song ‘Dilli’ which goes along with the promo of the film has been intoxicating to say the least. The topical appeal of No One Killed Jessica can’t be denied either while Amit Trivedi has more often than not impressed in most of his outings. With lyrics by fresh blood Amitabh Bhattacharya who has been coming up with good numbers in the recent past, No One Killed Jessica, despite it’s limited range (from the target audience) perspective is an album that does generate curiosity.

MUSIC Title song ‘Dilli’ is a killer. Period. Going totally well with the fervour that is associated with the city of Delhi, ‘Dilli’ is racy, ferocious, vociferous, energetic and relentless, hence making it one of the most rocking tracks to have arrived before the year 2010 comes to a close. It is Aditi Singh Sharma’s voice that stays with you as she goes ‘D D D Dilli Dilli’ at the very kick start of the song. Tochi Raina and Shriram Iyer take up the mantle from this point on for this rock fusion track that has just the kind of lyrics that detail Delhi in all it’s earnest. If the original wasn’t good enough, there is also a ‘remix version’ in the form of ‘Dilli Hardcore’ that takes the song to the next level, hence making it one song which is bound to find an entry into the collection of a DJ at least in the city of ‘Dilli’. The fun continues with the sound of ‘Dhinchak Dhinchak’ as a team of singers comes together to make ‘Aali Re’ a number which adds on to the killing appeal of No One Killed Jessica. Boasting of a new sound with a prelude that lasts as long as one full minute, ‘Aali Re’ has a trademark Amit Trivedi touch to it that makes it stand apart from the crowd. Others who join in are Biswajit Chakraborty, Shriram Iyer, Raja Hassan, Anushka Manchanda, Sonu Kakar, Aditi Singh Sharma & Sonia Sharma hence making it one of the biggest ensemble of established singers to have come together for a chorus track. By the time one is through listening to ‘Aali Re’, one is assured that the soundtrack of No One Killed Jessica would go to some extent at least. ‘How far’ is the question, something which is answered in songs to follow. There is some relief for a listener to replenish energies with a far quieter ‘Yeh Pal’ following next. A serious take on affairs about life, its happenings and the manner in which collision of various characters take place, ‘Yeh Pal’ has a serene feel to it and should work perfectly well with the narrative of the film. ‘Yeh Pal’ is not the kind of number that one sings along and heavy duty lyrics further mean that the appeal here lies in its theme rather than commercial gains. Especially look out for the last couple of minutes of the song which is primarily made of a rather elaborate musical piece sans any singing portions. The quality aspect of the album stays on course with the opening of ‘Aitbaar’ making one listen to it closely. After a quick rap part by Robert Omulo (Bob) comes Vishal Dadlani who yet again justifies his coming behind the mike. He goes husky to begin with only to go full throttle for his rock rendition that further puts a stone on the fact that the soundtrack of No One Killed Jessica would definitely find some good visibility for itself. There is some intermittent rustic singing by Mame Khan as well that brings in variety to this fusion song that is situational and yet again mighty effective. Last to come is ‘Dua’ which again has a soft tone to it, something that carries the kind of feel that one experiences in the background score of films coming from the West. More than a minute is spent on building a foundation post which Meenal Jain is heard crooning ‘Dua’. A song about hope and leaving behind disappointments, ‘Dua’ is an almost unplugged track that is yet another quality outing in No One Killed Jessica. One suspects that this could well be one tear-inducing number in the film where the situation is centred on a quiet rally by citizens w.r.t. Jessica’s murder case. Others who join Meenal in this outing are Joi Barua, Raman Mahadevan and Amitabh Bhattacharya.

OVERALL One expected No One Killed Jessica to be a good album and thankfully expectations are more than just met here. This has to be one of the most prestigious outings for Amit Trivedi as he brings in certain maturity in the way he deals with the soundtrack here. He mixes massy tracks (Dilli, Aali Re), niche (Aitbaar) and classy numbers (Aitbaar, Dua) to make No One Killed Jessica a definite buy this season.

OUR PICK(S) Dilli, Aali Re, Aitbaar