Nashville Scene,
CD Review
>>
My Name Is Khan, Karan Johar's film about the toll the events of 9/11 take on a Muslim family from India already dealing with other issues of relocation and cultural isolation, is ostensibly another Bollywood film. But this soundtrack doesn't string together reworked musical bits and fantasy sequences. Pianist Loy Mendosa brings an improviser's experimental vision to the project in collaboration with rock and blues-influenced writer Ehsaan Noorani and emphatic singer Shanker Mahadevan. There are ardent devotionals and passionate identity pieces, while Mahadevan and other guests such as second vocalist Adnan Sami and the spectacular Rahat Fateh Ali Khan add the majesty and fire of qawwali to this already intense set. While careful to balance the scales with lighter numbers like "Khan's Theme" featuring the Bombay Film Orchestra, Mendosa and company make this far from dispensable background music. It only raises a listener's hopes for Johar's production, now showing in local theaters. 03/05/10
>> go there
|