Music OnLine : CDs : 1338756

A.R. Rahman is best known for his Bollywood hits: flashy tunes like "Chaiyya Chaiyya" and "Rangeela Rangeela." But before Rahman broke into Bollywood, he was the top composer for Tamil language films, and this two-disc roundup of his Tamil work shows his versatility. His "less is more" credo rules these songs, which pair solid, bass-heavy production with stellar solo singing on songs like "Mettoppodu," and show the kind of left-of-center (yet commercial) composing that has made him an international star.

There really isn't a name for what Dengue Fever is doing yet. Maybe "psychedelic ethno-rock," or "retro global pop" -- some special cocktail of words is needed to describe a sound that plucks from the flotsam and jetsam of global culture and crafts the freshest sound from the oddest materials: vintage organ, funk beats, surf and psychedelic rock. Then add in the ethereal howl of Bollywood singers, and a Cambodian lead singer singing in Khmer. Based in LA., members of Dengue Fever (who've played with everyone from Dieselhead to Beck) stumbled on some Cambodian rock from the 1960s and '70s and were so inspired they decided to start a tribute band, but they faced one stumbling block: they needed a singer. Singer Chhom Nimol had achieved pop stardom in Cambodia and was working the lucrative wedding circuit in Los Angeles when she auditioned. The fit was immediate and obvious, and they set down to recording the first CD. Their first release consisted mainly of faithful covers of what, to Nimol, was essentially classic (Cambodian) rock. Nimol proved to be the group's secret weapon: her voice defies gravity, floating up into the heady climes of Asian pop (where most western singers fear to tread) and redefining pop as we know it. Their second release, 2005's Escape From Dragon House, saw the group taking more license with their sound, straying into original territory while still staying true to their inspiration. The group somehow catches the spirit of the early rock revolution, the time when youth culture blossomed into its first innocently libidinous expression and people around the world took up instruments in an attempt to duplicate a sound that had migrated from Africa and matured on a Southern Californian beach.

The organ is vintage, the Cambodian lead singer sings in Khmer, the sound evokes an entirely unholy cross between the Beach Boys, Ethiopiques and Bollywood caterwauling...basically, there's no way Dengue Fever should succeed. But they will, because this is one of the freshest albums of 2005.

Bombastic soundtrack music from Bollywood's favorite music director. While Rahman certainly knows his way around a string orchestra, tracks like "Lord An's Empire" and "Dacoit Duel" exemplify the broad cultural influences, rhythmic complexity, and dense, earthy instrumentation we've come to expect from a Rahman release.

In the first Bollywood film to deal seriously with the Partition, Uttam Singh's soundtrack quickly dispenses with Punjabi party music and delves into weightier songs worthy of the subject. Winners include Jagjit Singh's sensitive "Haath Choote," Roopkumar Rathod's "Vatna Ve," and the undiluted yearning of the Wadali Brothers.

This Bengali singer is as sought after in India as she is in Bangladesh. Highly recorded, Yasmin is known for both her film and folk music work. Her voice is a refreshing change from the Bollywood standard; though she can hit the high notes, she has a throatier base that gives heft to her performances.

Om Shanti Om's storyline is vintage nutty Bollywood: two actors -- one a starlet, the other an aspiring star -- are murdered in 1970s Bollywood and find themselves reincarnated in the present day. Suffice it to say, there's lots of revenge, double identities and a chance for Shahrukh Khan to disco dance, if "Dard-e-disco" has anything to do with it. (A record 31 film stars appear during the "Deewangi Deewangi" sequence alone. Wow.) The music consistently charms: composers Vishal-Shekhar and Javed Akhtar shared the Best Composer award at the 2008 Asian Film Awards.

A.R. Rahman finally seized control of Bollywood's bloated and complacent music scene with his 1998 soundtrack for Dil Se. The film, though beautifully shot and starring heartthrob Shahrukh Khan, was never terribly popular: it dealt with unsavory (and un-Bollywood) topics like rape, suicide bombers and civil unrest. The music both reflected this seriousness and freed itself of it. Rahman's spare, bass-heavy arrangements added gravitas, but "Chaiyya Chaiyya" was a barnstorming global dance hit all the same. Nobody in India had heard anything quite like it, and to their credit, everybody loved it.

This massively popular 1994 film starring Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit is credited with turning the tide in Bollywood -- away from crime and toward romance. While the soundtrack wasn't an immediate hit, it did gain steam as the film grew and ultimately hit big. As dated as they can sound, "Pehla Pehla Pyar" and "Didi Teara Devar Diwana" still pack a punch.

This 1995 star vehicle for Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan traipsed through London, the Alps and finally rural India, but its musical influences are strictly Bollywood. Composing duo Jatin Lalit give their customary frothy treatment to a romp of a film that becomes deadly serious. Check the playful anthem "Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main" and the thoughtful "Tujhe Dekha To."

Anyone who has seen Ghost World will want to check out this soundtrack. Even if you've never even heard of the movie, it's worth hearing the opening Bollywood cut, the graduation rap and the travesty known as Blueshammer. It's not all irony, however. There are also plenty of neat cuts from old 78 records as well as Vince Giordino lovingly recreating 1930s swing.

While not always an easy pleaser, Thakshak is classic Rahman: it yearns for the sweeping and difficult places, and often finds them. "Toofan Ki Raat" is as unlike a Bollywood song as you can find; Asha Bhosle shines on the Sukhwinder Singh-penned "Rang De" (Singh's "Dholna" is also great); and Roopkumar Rathod sounds wonderful on the gently paced "Khamosh Raat."

Hare Rama Hare Krishna has a (somewhat deserved) rep as a swinging funk and rock-driven soundtrack from Bollywood's vanguard music director R.D. Burman. (It's even reviewed on Blaxploitation.com!) But listen closer and Burman's compositions sound as sweet and subtle as his dad's ("Phoolan Ka," "Kanchi Re"), even if Asha Bhosle gets all mod on "Dum Maro Dum."

Mix the glorious excesses of Bollywood (multiple dance numbers, elaborate sets) with disco (tight pants, glitter) and the result is bound to be astounding. Bappi Lahiri's soundtrack helped make disco into a bona fide craze in India; the film proved that kung fu, disco and drama belong together. "Auva Auva Koi Yahan" is a Hindi-cized remake of "Video Killed the Radio Star."

Muzik (12/00, p.96) - 4 out of 5 - "...A kaleidoscopic swirl of pop, electronica and folk from all corners of the globe underpins Anjali's cooing vocals....complex but disciplined..."
NME (11/25/00, p.34) - 7 stars out of 10 - "...Draws a skewed lounge-pop sound out of arrangements rooted as much in Bollywood themes and '60s soundtracks as funk and hip-hop..."

Lata Mangeshkar dominates the soundtrack of this classic Shahrukh Kahn vehicle, dueting with Udit Narayan on no less than seven songs. (Her sister Asha Bhosle is relegated to a single song.) But for all its length, there's little padding on this beast -- these songs featured integrally in the film and discovered enough fresh melodies to stand out from the teeming Bollywood soundtrack crowd.

Kumar Sanu's voice dominated 1990s Bollywood, which is no surprise considering his numerous comparisons to Kishore Kumar. The 1990 soundtrack for Aashiqui opened the floodgates for Sanu's career; the soundtrack was a phenomenal, award-winning hit that helped Sanu to go on to win five consecutive Filmfare awards (1990-94). After recording hundreds of albums, Sanu began to slow down, becoming more choosy and branching out into acting in films from his native Bengal. Sanu was born Sanu Bhattacharya.

Anand is an adventurous member of Bollywood's young crop of music directors. He certainly takes his cues from artisst like Anu Malik and A.R. Rahman, but there's a sense of playfulness that can elude those directors. (Would Rahman ever write a song with the refrain "Take a chill pill"?) Hip-hop, tabla, pop and blues harmonica can all fit into a single Anand song, but he also has a love for Indian folk and Arabic pop that makes for fresh, grounded compositions.

Raised in London and now based in Mumbai, Kamaal Khan is quickly becoming one of Bollywood's hottest playback singers. Thanks to a friendship with the influential Khan brothers (including heartthrob Salman Khan), Kamaal got a break singing his pop hit "O Oh Jaane Jaana" for Sohail Khan's Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya. Khan's future projects include composing for films and possible collaborations with Pato Banton and Stereo Nation.

This gifted composer created some of Bollywood's most memorable songs, but he was known as a stubborn renegade who refused to record Lata Mangeshkar and demanded high prices for his work. Nayyar was born in pre-Partition Lahore in 1926. Though he had little formal musical training, he often drew on the sounds of his native Punjab. After several false starts in Bollywood, 1954's Aar Paar for director Guru Dutt began a long and mutually beneficial collaboration which also spawned Mr. and Mrs. 55 and CID. Nayyar also took on a young singer named Asha Bhosle. Their partnership helped launch her career thanks to soundtracks for films like Naya Daur, Howrah Bridge and Ragini. But Nayyar's fortunes fell abruptly at the end of the 1950s when personality conflicts led to fewer jobs. From the '60s on Nayyar composed just a handful of soundtracks, though many of them were considered gems. In all those years, Nayyar famously never recorded Lata Mangehskar because he considered her "thread-like" voice too thin for his compositions.