I think ARR has thrown a challenge to all reviewers with this album. Listening to the songs one gets a feeling that ARR is trying to convey ‘Ok. Now review this.’ I have been trying to write my opinion for quite some time. I have never struggled this much :)

Ishq Ada (Male Version) - Singer: Rashid Ali Lyrics: Raqueeb Alam Duration: 3.37
One of the songs which I started liking in the first hearing itself. Sounds quite european and very melodious. Rashid Ali has done an amazing job. Everytime he continues after an interlude, you do not get a feeling that there was a pause. His frequency perfectly matches the interludes. Maybe it is so in all songs, but in this song the frequency synchronisation caught my attention. Special mention must be made to the section after 2.19. For the first twelve seconds, the interludes are amazing (Does anyone know what the instrument is?) and the pitch in which Rashid Ali continues after that is amazing. Dont miss the section where he goes ‘Ohh’, and then switches to high pitch. Lovely song.

Hawa Sun Hawa -Singers: Sonu Nigam & Alka Yagnik Lyrics: Nusrat Badr Duration: 6.01
Sonu Nigams Hat trick starts here. I like the way Alka Yagnik starts singing. Her voice blends, if I may use that word, perfectly with the flute. This song has ‘Vintage ARR’ stamped all over it. I wish he reuses this tune for a tamil movie :D Atleast the flute bit between 1.44 and 2.00. Lengthy song but every second is worth it.

Ghum Sum - Singers: Sonu Nigam & Alka Yagnik Lyrics: Nusrat Badr Duration: 4.20
Sonu and Alka Yagnik at it again. If it was flute in the previous song, it is guitar in this song. The string interludes are top notch. Something in the lines of Munbe vaa or Nenjamellam kaadhal. But its not that lengthy in this song. The drum beat between 3.40 and 3.44 is quite unexpected and funny ;)

Gulfisha - Singers: Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan and Vivian Chaix Lyrics: Nusrat Badr Duration: 4.43
Sonu nigam’s at it again! Vivian Chaix starts chanting and then we get to hear the song, that you might hear frequently in FM Radio. This song reminds me of the Maaricham song from sillunu oru kaadhalAda ada hai ada tere ada ne jaane kya kiya? Peppy number, when compared to other songs in this album. Has ARR used the japanese bamboo flutes in this song? Sunidhi has lots of variations in this song, and she has done a neat job.

Meherbaan - Singer: AR Rahman Lyrics: Raqueeb Alam Duration: 3.51
Another NewYork Nagaram. Whats the special connection between ARR and ‘Tere Bina’? I think this song might be a part of the future concerts. I can visualize ARR playing the piano and singing ‘Tu hai nadhiya main hoon sangam’, whilst blaaze is holding the microphone next to him. Wonderful song to listen, while you are going on a long drive or rather on a walk. Was ARR thinking about this song, when this photograph was taken? :) If you are tense or upset or angry, please listen to this song. Peace!

Tu Mera Hai - Singers: Chitra, Sukhwinder Singh & Naresh Iyer Lyrics: Nusrat Badr Duration: 4.57
The way Chitra sings ‘Tu Mera mera mera hai’ it reminds me of some other ARR song. I am not able to place which one. For the first 1 minute of the song, there is nothing but interludes and Chitra singing ‘Tu mera mera mera hai yaara’. Similar to Thee Thee, where there is more of interludes and the first stanza, and not much lyrics otherwise. Sukhwinder has sung like how he has sung in ‘Water’, and not his usual energetic self. Nice. Till the end I was wondering when Naresh Iyer would appear in the song.

Hai Dard - Singer: Udit Narayan Lyrics: Nusrat Badr
The way the song starts, one might assume it is a peppy number. But all of a sudden you get to hear Udit Narayan pouring his heart out. Once again, whats the instrument that appears in the beginning of the song? And is it the same instrument between 0.17 and 0.21? Pathos song, sung perfectly by Udit Narayan. His pronounciations are spot on! Not to forget the voice in the background. I wonder if there is a flashback sequence of happier moments in this song, somewhere between 2.40 and 2.50 as the music in that particular portion is quite different from the songs tune.

Ishq Ada (Female version) - Singer: Parul Mishra
When I first heard this song, I was wondering if something was wrong in my car CD player. It starts with Ada hai, sada hai, dua hai. The male version had isha ada hai, ishq dua hai etc. Parul was the winner of the Fever talent hunt competition that was held in Delhi, before the November concert. If you listen to this song, you will know why she is a worthy winner. During the concert she sung a very tough song from Zubeidaa very well. There are slight variations from the male version, not just in the tune but also in the usage of instruments. Dream debut for Parul in which she scores a six of the first ball. Great talent! Listen to her alaap in the middle. We need more songs from Parul :)

Milo Wahan Wahan Singers: Alka Yagnik & Jayachandran Lyrics: Nusrat Badr Duration: 6.24
Jayachandran after a long time. Lovely voice, perfect modulation. Why doesnt he get that many chances? :( Apart from Jayachandrans voice, what makes this song a very pleasant one is the usage of violin and the way Alka Yagnik has sung it. Need to listen some more time. One interesting thing to observe is the pause in between lines, with no music in between.

Meherbaan (Instrumental) Guitar: Sanjeev Thomas Duration: 3.01
If there is one thing I miss(Yes, I am being greedy here) in this album, its the lack of instrumental for all the songs. No disrespect to any of the singers, but I wish we had an instrumental version for all the 9 songs. Just listen to the instrumental of Meherbaan. You will understand why I am saying this.

This is one album I had been waiting for quite sometime. According to some interviews, this movie has been in the making for quite sometime. And the music has been composed over a period of time. It definitely shows us interesting glimpses of BOSS’s musical journey.

Finally, in the interview to Kalaignar TV ARR mentioned that whenever he likes a song a lot he plays it to Mani sir. I wonder if this is the first album, apart from mani sir movies, for which he played all the songs to Mani sir.

Thank you BOSS for taking us on a wonderful musical journey, via ADA :)