Music Review : Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Film: "Jab Tak Hai Jaan"; Music Director: A.R. Rahman; Lyricist: Gulzar; Singers: Rabbi Shergill, Shreya Ghoshal, Mohit Chauhan, Raghav Mathur, Shilpa Rao, Harshdeep Kaur, Neeti Mohan, Javed Ali, Shaktisree Gopalan, and Shah Rukh Khan.

Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra has stepped into the director's shoes maybe for the last time, which makes "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" a very special movie. With Shah Rukh Khan, the King of Romance, in the lead, the music raises lot of expectations. Mozart of Madras A.R. Rahman has composed eight original tracks and one reprise version, while Gulzar has penned the lyrics.

The soundtrack starts off with "Challa", a soothing number sung by Rabbi, which mesmerises you to the core. The sound of guitar and drums coupled with Rabbi's distinct voice is a total bliss, while the lyrics are easy to the ears. Musically speaking, it is fine melody and minimal experimentation that strike the right chord.

It is followed by 'Saans', which is like a trademark romantic song, reminiscent of Yash Raj Films. The duet sung by Mohit Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal is deep with good use of instruments like flute and violin. But in terms of composition, Rahman could have produced a better track. It's definitely not the finest from his ensemble, and fails to impress beyond a point.

It also has a slower reprise version, a solo by Shreya Ghoshal. It's not bad but that's all one can say about it.

"Ishq Shava" is an interesting track that fuses Arabic and techno sounds combined with the versatile voices of Raghav Mathur and Shlpa Rao. There is a good use of instruments like the oud, the mandolin and the saz to get the desired effect. Rahman's melody is a fine listen indeed and peppy beats grow on the listener.

"Heer" crooned by Hrashdeep Kaur recreates the eternal Mirza-Sahiban romance with the heart wrenching lyrics by Gulzaar. The song is surely the high point of the album and takes you to the land of Punjab. Rahman has composed a beautiful piece of music that just bowls you over.

"Jiya Re" is an upbeat song that lifts up your mood with its racy tune and energetic vocals by Neeti Mohan. The sound is youthful and one appreciates the interlacing of flute and strings that uplifts the tempo.

Next up is the title track "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", starts as a slow romantic track with the voice of Javed Ali, but changes track once the tabla is introduced. Shaktisree Gopalan enters and after a while but there is just something amiss here. Maybe in a bid to make it sound different, the composer went a bit haywire here.

It's followed by the instrumental piece "Ishq Dance", which reminds you of "Dance of Envy" from "Dil To Pagal Hai" that became quite popular.

However, in term of music this one is not at par with its predecessor.

Rounding up the album is "Jab Tak Hai Jaan Poem" penned by Aditya Chopra with a soulful rendition by none other than SRK. It does manage to make way into your heart.

Overall, the music rides high on romantic flavour and tries to capture different emotions surrounding love with resounding success. There are some flaws here and there, but they can be ignored while looking at the larger picture.

Rating: ***