No Pritam magic in 'Aa Dekhen Zara'

When it's Pritam Chakraborty, an album high on musical arrangements is inevitable. His latest offering "Aa Dekhen Zara" sounds contemporary but it lacks experimentation despite the composer having collaborated with Gourov Dasgupta of "Dus Kahaniyan" fame.

The first song, "Aa dekhen zara", a modern take on the 1981 classic by R.D. Burman has two versions in the album. The first one is more of a high-energy dance number where actor Neil Nitin Mukesh goes behind the mike, following in his grandfather's and father's footsteps.

While his vocals are worth notice, the song fails to come anywhere close to the original. It sounds more like a remixed track.

But the lounge version of the song crooned by Dibyendu Mukherjee and Shweta Vijay is attention-grabbing and engaging. While both versions are recreated by Gourov Dasgupta, the second one is authentic and out of the box because its soothing arrangements make it hummable.

Pritam combines Western and Indian influences in "Gazab". Sunidhi Chauhan sings in her trademark style along with Shaan. The song is ordinary and falls flat.

The song also has a club mix, which is equally boring. Remixed by DJ Sanj, it is nothing but a package of unnecessary instrumentation adding only to the noise factor.

"Mohabbat aapse" is easily the best song in the album. Composed by Pritam, the romantic track is sung by Akriti Kakkar. It has an indi-pop touch and impresses with its breezy sound arrangements compared to other songs.

Next is "Power", which is not good enough to hold the listener's attention for long. Dasgupta's composition is far from entertaining and doesn't touch a chord. A highly disappointing number. The club mix of the song is no better.

Next is "Rock the party", a purely club number that exudes a heard-before feeling. Sunidhi and Shweta sing the track that reminds one of the many disco songs in the past. Though the instrumentation is good, the song doesn't show any indication of becoming a favourite among music buffs.

To sum up, Pritam could have done a much better job. It's time for the composer to reinvent and bring some fresh sounds to his albums.

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Aa Dekhen Zara