Crooners and lyrics save MNIK

My Name is Khan
Label: Sony Music
Price: Rs 499

With My Name Is Khan, the monarch of melodrama, Karan Johar, is testing a bold new ground that debates religion bias during terrorist investigations. The teasers look refreshingly different, which is sadly not replicated in the soundtracks by KJo's favourite composer trio of Shanker-Ehsan-Loy. However, even the monotony of melody has its moments of pep, courtesy the fresh voices of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shafqat Amanat Ali, and the absence Mahadevan's repetitive voice.

Sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma, the album opens with 'Sajda', a Sufi number that moves you with its very first 'hearing'. The album couldn't have had a better opening.
Next in line is a sub-standard 'Noor-e-khuda', where Adnan Sami, Shreya Ghoshal and Shankar strive to prove their mettle across varied pitches, but fail miserably.u00a0u00a0

u00a0The album bounces back to surprise with a brilliant 'Tere Naina', where Shafqat does a 'Tabeer' (his last album).u00a0 Simple melody, superb orchestrisation and logical yet emotional lyrics by Niranjan Iyengar make this a number that'll soon top the charts. Another wow factor is 'Allah hi Rahem', where more than the music, it's the voice of Rashid Ali and the touching wordsu00a0--u00a0 'Kaise ishq se saj gayi rahe, jab se dekhi hai teri nigahein ya khuda mai to tera ho gaya'u00a0-- that do the magic.

There was a time when composers took to the microphone occasionally, but considering the number of singing assignments Shankar and Himesh Reshamiya take up now, the scene is fast changing. But not every one of them excels at it every time. This time over, too, listeners will have to pay the price of over-exposure of certain composer-cum-singers. An example of this is the next track, 'Rang De', a rock version that calls for peace in a voice that fails to convince and music that's way below expectations.

The sequence of original creations ends with a theme song by Pakistani band String. It will gain relevance once the movie hits the screens in February. Not a bad one, this.

Apart from these, there are some bonus tracks by KJo, the ones from his past flicks. On an average, the six-track album is worth occasional listening, but certainly not the soul-stirrer you were expecting.