| | During this season of Indian Idol, a star was born. He possessed all the attributes necessary to win the crown: talent, determination, a dynamic personality, and songs that came straight from his soul. The judges liked him; the people loved him. However, Hyderabadi powerhouse N.C. Karunya lost the title of Indian Idol II. As did talented Mumbai heartthrob Amey Date. Amidst the excitement that ensued during the Indian Idol season, the people had formed a winning bond with quiet Sandeep Acharya, who hails from a small village in Rajasthan, a vast state in the northwestern region of India.
Sandeep Acharya, newly crowned Indian Idol II, just released his first album under Sony, titled "Mere Saath Sara Jahan." The music was composed by Sandeep Chowta and Deepak Pandit. The lyrics were written by Sameer and Manoj Muntashir. Did channeling the talent and creativity of such big names do the trick for Sandeep? Let's take a look.
Mere Saath Sara Jahan (Winning Performance)
This song is not as good as Mohabbatein Lutaunga, which was given to Indian Idol 1, Abhijeet Sawant. However, it's not bad. Sandeep sounds a little raw, which was expected considering his performances during the show. The softness required in a few places is not there and that flaw is very apparent. I will say, though, that he stayed in tune, didn't miss notes, and carried the song pretty well overall. The music sounds different but is missing that extra punch needed to make it extraordinary. The lyrics are simple, but I actually like them, especially the second verse.
Ek zarre ko chand banaya, tera shukriya
Tune hi mujhko gaana sikhaaya, tera shukriya
Jo mere paas hai, tera ehsaas hai
He talks about reaching beyond the stars, but in this particular part, he thanks the people who taught him to sing and turned him into a star. This part stands out for me only because when Karunya sang the song during the finals, he did it with so much emotion. Sandeep's rendition isn't as soulful, but Karunya's version stuck in my head. Other than that verse, the rest of the words sort of fade into oblivion. Overall, this song will probably make the charts, but I doubt it will hit the top spots.
Yeh Kaisa Deewanapan Hai
This is a sweet song. The lyrics are typical of Sameer- he is asking what sort of craziness he is suffering from love. Sandeep's high notes sound lovely, but when he hits the low notes, he gets sloppy. A large portion of this song is on the low side, so it often sounds slightly sloppy. He gets the emotions right in some places, and misses the mark in others. However, it is a valiant effort to bring out the innocence of this song in his voice.
Ishq Ho Gaya
This is the first song of the album that made me sit up. About a minute into it, I went back to slouching. The flaw in this song lies partly in Sandeep's voice and partly in the composition. As I said before, Sandeep still sounds really raw in places and has trouble bringing out the softness in his voice. But that can be fixed if the composition holds the listener. Here, it doesn't. A good effort, but not quite good enough.
Mere Saath Sara Jahan (Album Version)
I tried to get into the feelings behind this song, but Sandeep just couldn't capture me. It sounded as amateurish as the winning performance version. Here, I have to draw comparison between Sandeep and Abhijeet Sawant, last year's winner. Both versions of Abhijeet's Mohabbatein Lutaunga were lovely. The proper feeling just didn't exist in Sandeep's songs. The music wasn't very good either- it didn't quite mesh with the song (except for the flute in between). To sum up this song: It's boring.
Mhare Des Mein
This has to be my favorite song on the album. From the minute Sandeep begins singing it, you know it's going to be likable. The music is meant to give the feeling of Rajasthan and the music director succeeds in doing so. I also really like the words.
Mhare des mein mhare gaaon mein
In galiyon mein in raahon mein
Bachpan beeta mhara
Aasman ki chhaon mein
Aao pardesi aao
Aao mhare gaaon mein
Aao pardesi aao
Aao mhare des mein
He is inviting outsiders to see the true essence of where he lives- the streets of his village, the village belles, and a childhood spent under the stars. But what makes this song unique is the language. It's not done it typical Hindi some of the words are Rajasthani, which is refreshing to hear. And as for the singing- hats off to Sandeep for this song. He's done a wonderful job with it. You can tell he's enjoying singing it, too. The best song on the album, hands down.
Papa Kehte Hain
Now this song was totally unnecessary in this album. We've heard it a thousand times. In fact, Sandeep sang the same song on the Indian Idol 2 album, Woh Pehli Baar. I didn't like in on Woh Pehli Baar, and I certainly don't like it on two different albums. Also, it seemed out of place in an album full of original compositions. It's not very good. Period. I didn't like the music. And the lyrics? Well, we've all heard them before in the original. And the singing is alright, too. Nothing extraordinary. Blech.
Sagar Jaisi Aankhon Wali
This is another remake of an original song. This one is much better than Papa Kehte Hain, but I still wasn't impressed. Sandeep's singing is tremendously better in this song, but I'm still not convinced that he can do soft songs as soulfully as he should. There is no place for this song in this album. Like it's predecessor, it's out of place among original compositions. I will say, however, that I enjoyed the music. It's close to the original music and the sounds really good!
Dhol
When I first heard this song, I thought I was listening to a really bad remix of "Dhoom Machale" from the movie Dhoom (Dhoom, dhoom, come on light my fire…). However, when Sandeep started singing, I had to pause for a minute. Where was this Sandeep during Idol galas? He sounds awesome. His voice is unrecognizable, in a good way. It's a little loud and confusing (you have to listen to it to know what I mean), but Sandeep's singing makes up for all the flaws. Yes folks, you heard me. I just said that…about Sandeep. Not Amey. Not Karunya. Sandeep. I surprised myself, too, with that statement. I sort of like this song, second to Mhare Des Mein. If it had been done in a non-remix style, it would've been much better, though.
So, now comes the final verdict. First, the pros. The album is true to Sandeep's identity as a Rajasthani. The music in most of the pieces is reminiscent of Rajasthan, and that makes it stand out. It is a valiant effort by Sandeep. His singing springs very few surprises—he's consistent throughout. The listener knows only to expect one or two gems from an album full of mediocrity. In this case, Mhare Des Mein is it. And maybe Dhol. During the galas, it was much the same way. Holi Khele Raghuveera stood out, but the rest of Sandeep's performances were forgettable. See? Consistency. Well done on that note, Sandeep.
And since I've halfway started on the cons, here's the rest. The title song isn't catchy and the remaining songs are simply boring. I also think that the lyricists and music directors put in a half-hearted effort in some of the songs. I may have actually liked Abhijeet Sawant's album, but I don't like this one.
4 out of 10.
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