Music Review:I Hate Luv Storys(Vishal & Shekhar)

by Srikanth Mantravadi

IHLS is one the more enjoyable soundtracks in recent times,coming as it is after the rather erudite and slightly pedantic Raavan(AR Rahman).Vishal & Shekhar have no qualms in sticking,decidedly,to their kind of ‘stuff’.So don’t look for revelations here.The first few passages of Jab Mila Tu act like harbingers of things to come.You could as well and without disturbing the balance supplant this in place of Jaane Kyun of Dostana.Bin Tere is by far the best song of the album.VS step out of the rut here and the uptempo orchestration,though odd,complements Shafqat’s aureate vocals flawlessly.The only downer is Sunidhi’s flat,lacklustre vocals.She is seemingly overshadowed by Shafqat and sounds out of place.There is also a reprise of Bin Tere by Shekhar which charts a slightly different course.It is a more mellow and melancholic variant driven by acoustic guitars.The vocals too are good.Vishal Dadlani dives right in again with the pulpy title song.Credit be given to the composers,I Hate Luv Storys is one of those peculiar lines that does not lend itself malleably to a tune.Yet VS are up to the game here with a few juvenilely thrilling hooks.The lyrics are just about right for this kind(upbeat and racy)of a song.But inventive they could have been.Shreya and Rahat,solely on the dint of their wonderful skills,elevate Bahara to gratifying levels in their respective renditions of the song.The tune,except for the mukhda,is otherwise mediocre.Rahat’s version,though,is splendidly orchestrated.Sadka Hua very loosely ebbs and flows like the duo’s own Khuda Jaane.It is an ingeniously assembled song,though the tune is just about par,that gets the brooding,wistful theme right.Suraj Jagan lends a conspicuously loungish feel to this dysphoric song.

My Picks-Bin Tere,Bahara

My Rating-Three Cheers!!!