Since he created dhoom a few years ago, Pritam, hidden behind long hair and a beard, has come a long way. He’s gone from dance tracks (Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena), to romantic ballads (Ankahee, Just Married) to feel-good beats (Pyaar Ke Side Effects) and the regular Bollywood gaana (Kya Love Story Hai). This man is no stranger to versatility. Now, get ready to add another album with an altogether different genre to Pritam’s impressive repertoire (minus the plagiarized but still awesome Gangster). Life In a…Metro is in three words—refreshing, revitalizing and soothing.
Yes, the tunes from Gangster may have been plagiarized, but one must admit that the album was simply rocking. This time, Anurag Basu teams up with Pritam once again who is ready to create waves with his rock band. Life In a…Metro takes a huge risk by venturing into a genre not commonly explored in Bollywood. Thankfully, this risk pays off big time!
The album opens on a soft note with In Dino which instantly captivates the listener with its soulful and poignant lyrics accompanied by Soham’s relaxing voice. Pritam and the band have done a commendable job with the music so that the instruments provide just enough so that Sayeed Qadri’s lyrics aren’t overshadowed. This one should fit into the narrative seamlessly. Bunty Rajput’s In Dino Revisited is surprisingly enjoyable unlike recent Reshammiya remixes.
Next in line is another soft rock number, this time with KK at the helm. Titled Alvida, this one again boasts of amazing lyrics (Amitabh Verma) that are a rarity these days. KK is simply perfect for the song—flawless. He captures the essence of the song wonderfully instead of singing it robotically. And yes, it gets better! James of ‘Bheegi Bheegi’ fame croons the Alvida Reprise passionately. Still, I prefer KK’s version.
Melody and romance arrives in the form of O Meri Jaan, sung by a more than welcome KK. Instead of ending up as a run-of-the-mill ‘ishq vishk pyaar vyaar’ track, the song captures the romantic feeling beautifully. KK’s voice is once again, top notch. Quite a bit of the credit goes to Sandeep Srivastava’s lyrics. It’s nice how the song starts off quite subtle and builds up for an energetic end. O Meri Jaan Reprise is just as interesting, and Suhail adds a bit of freshness to the tune.
James re-appears in a song tailor-made for him. Rishtey is one of the deepest tracks in the entire album. However, it will most likely take a few listens to catch on. This is what you call music with meaning! It comes back into the album with Rishtey Revisited which is extremely catchy and will only help the song go further.
Baatein Kuch Ankahee Si is feel-good and catchy from the word ‘go’. Adnan Sami is at his usual best while Suhail in the Unplugged version excels. It is another compelling track in an already fantastic album.
Now, this next track takes a complete departure with Band Metro creating a truly rocking number! Kar Salaam salutes life; the happiness and the sorrow. It’s a completely uplifting track and very peppy. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best tracks in the album.
In totality, Life In a…Metro is a breath of fresh air. One wishes more composers would take risks like this! With this album, Pritam has provided one of the best soundtracks of his career and has completely solidified himself as a composer with substance. Each track in the album compliments the film’s theme greatly and yet they still bear their own distinct identity. However, this album is definitely not for everyone. From a sales point of view, it should take a few weeks to pick up and make more money in the cities.
Life In a…Metro is deep, insightful and has soul that many albums try so hard to capture but fail. Pritam has got it bang-on, and makes this album completely worth it!
