Music Review - Rock On!! 2

After the success of Rock On!! (2008), Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar are back with the sequel, aptly titled Rock On!! 2. The film reprises most of its cast from the prequel, including Farhan Akhtar, Purab Kohli, Arjun Rampal, Prachi Desai, and Shahana Goswami. Unfortunately, Luke Kenny doesn't appear in this film. Rock On!! 2 has a few new characters essayed by the gorgeous Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora. The movie has been directed by Shujaat Saudagar.

In a first, the producers have chosen to release the entire soundtrack of the movie before the trailer, which only serves to show just how much faith the makers have in the music. Similar to Rock On!!, Shankar Ehsaan Loy have composed the music for this film, while the lyrics have been penned down by Javed Akhtar. Without further ado, read on for the review of Rock On!! 2's album.

 

The album opens with the rock number "Jaago", voiced by Siddharth Mahadevan and Farhan Akhtar. Akhtar's voice sounds horrible, and that seems to have ruined the song. Mahadevan, on the other hand, has an upper hand in rock and manages to salvage the song with his portions. Jai Row Kavi on the drums is brilliant, but sadly, he cannot do much to drown Akhtar's voice.

 

Next up is "Udja Re", an electronic rock number voiced by Shraddha Kapoor, with additional vocals by Siddharth Mahadevan. Kapoor is brilliant in this song, especially when she hits the high notes. The song doesn't sound like a Magik song, and it appears to be one of Kapoor's songs before she ends up joining the band. A special mention has to be given to the lyrics by Javed Akhtar, which compels the listener to pay attention to every word being sung.

 

"Udja Re" is followed by "You Know What I Mean", which unfortunately bears way too many similarities to "Pichle Saat Dino Mein" from Rock On!!.  Akhtar has lent his voice to this number, and it is quite catchy. It does have a very millennial feel to it, especially with the "whoop" and the beats, but it is definitely worth a listen for those nostalgic about the 2000s.

 

"Manzar Naya" is the next song in the album, which has again been voiced by Akhtar. This number boasts of a beautiful folk percussion melody, credits of which have to be given to Anupam Deghtak. Unfortunately though, Akhtar is dreadful in this song, especially when he raises his pitch. Give this song a listen just for the beautiful music, but don't expect too much out of it.

 

Shraddha Kapoor lends her voice to "Tere Mere Dil", yet another electronic rock number in the album. The fusion of pop with a classical interlude has done wonders for the music of this song, which has been complimented very well by Kapoor's vocals. This song is a must listen, regardless of whether or not one is a fan of the genre.

 

"Woh Jahaan" is the longest song in the album, and it has been sung by Shraddha Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar. This ballad has incorporated the use of the sarad, a rather interesting addition to the percussion instruments. Akhtar's voice complements that of Kapoor's, and goes well with the melody. Kapoor and Akhtar reciting a few lines is a good touch. This is definitely one of the better songs in the album!

 

Next up is "Hoi Kiw/Chalo Chalo", and this is definitely the best song in the entire album. This Khasi-Hindi number has been voiced by the legendary Usha Uthup, Kit Shangpliang, and Pyunsklin Syiemiong. What starts off as a folk song soon transitions into a full blown rock number, backed by the strong vocals of the trio. An extremely upbeat number, this is possibly the only song from the entire album that you'll come back to listen to on loop!

 

The album comes to a close with "Ishq Mastana". Shankar Mahadevan and Digvijay Singh Pariyar have lent their voices to this number. The use of the dhol, dholak, and the tabla have truly increased the tempo of this song, which drowns the moroseness of the lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar. This doesn't seem anything like its predecessors, and actually has a very "Bollywood" feel to it - which means that this will probably appear as a background number during the course of the film. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth a listen!

 

While the album boasts of good music, unfortunately, Akhtar's voice seems to have had a negative impact on some of the songs. On the other hand, Kapoor comes as an absolute surprise. While she has lent her voice to popular songs such as "Sab Tera" (Baaghi, 2016) before this, she has proven her mettle as a singer with Rock On!! 2, and was a complete revelation.

 

Author: Ritchelle C. 

Editor/s: Pooja B. and Gunia K. 

Graphics: Aisha S. and Pooja B.