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Aaja Nachle

YRF Music, CD (price not mentioned)

With a title like that, honestly, I was expecting an overdose of bhangra and bhangra-pop, which is thankfully absent from the album. No item numbers either. Aaja Nachle marks Madhuri Dixit’s return to the stage, complete with her ghungroos. So one does expect music directors Salim-Sulaiman to create nothing short of a complete dance-track, not even a soundtrack!

In that sense only three of the numbers in the album live up to that mark. “Aaja nachle”, the catchy opening number and the title track, is a pure invitation to dance. Sunidhi Chauhan does a good job of providing a rousing invitation. “Show me your jalwa” is a knockout number with Richa Sharma, Kailash Kher and Salim Merchant bringing their individual talents to the table. The song starts off at a good pace and Kailash Kher adds a new dimension with his soaring voice. Jaideep Sahni seems to have had a good time playing with the lyrics that are a queer mix of basic rhyme and rhythm, albeit with a vast vocabulary. The folksy twist that Salim-Sulaiman have given, along with the background and supporting vocals, improve the song.

A celebration of youth, its moods, and its colours manifests itself in “Soniye mil ja meley mein”. A lusty song about youth and love, it has Madhuri Dixit doing a surprisingly good job of pitching in with the singing.

One number in the track that isn’t peppy, but is the best of the album is “O re piya”. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s soulful rendition transports you to a rhythmic world of Sufiana and qawwali genres of music, but obviously with a more modern weave (presumably to retain the attention of the average listener).

“Ishq hua” is a slow, romantic number; quite average. In the same league and by the same artists Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghosal is “Is pal” – melodious and sweet (a Yash-Raj staple), but slows down the otherwise robust pace of the album.

BHUMIKA K.

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