Round 2: Alka Yagnik - Page 2

People may trash Subhash Ghai for his recent movies bombing the BO, but when it comes to music, at least 2-3, if not all tracks of the same album still have the same "subhash ghai" touch that makes him different. A well known fact is that subhash ghai has immense interest in music and puts all of his hard efforts in only getting the best out his singers and composers and A.R.Rehman's music in yuuvraaj is no exception.

This track in my books is easily one of alkaji's best in terms of singing in recent times. I loved the synthesizer played at the background and since the music is a combination of retro disco and western classical, it requires absolute voice control, one down from your usual highest pitch to sing a composition like this.
And only a veteran like alkaji could have done this, as she sings with amazing tonal control, the best part is that its not that typical "alka yagnik" track where you get to hear her famous high notes but a different alka yagnik track which brings her amazingly different side of her voice, refreshing to hear. And kudos to javed ali for complimenting her perfectly.

I gave it a 9 /10.👏

Great composition by the maestro, A R Rahman! The melody is very difficult, because it is nto predictable and does not incorporate the traditional, comfortable tunes. The song presents many challenges to the singer. (1) You have to off course handle such dififcult tunes, with the right harkats and pitching. You have to hold so many notes. (2) Then there's the aalaap (sung in the background during the male taan). (3) And given the meter and tempo of the song, there are some really long sequences whih requier considerable breathing skills and mastery over holding notes. In my opinion Alka excels in (1) and (2) was good (aalaap could have been more defined), but her breathing is not as good as it could be.

Take for example, these lines where she breathes at inappropriate places:

Labon se aake chhole apne (breath) lab zara
Tu muskura jahan bhi hai tu mus (breath) kura

However, Alka's true talent for me is expression. She can put life into a song and take it a notch above what it might have been otherwise. Gulzar's poetry gets a meaning, a smile and a resonance thanks to Alka's voice. In a world where we have Shreya, Madhushree, pitch-correction software and many upcoming singers (just have a look at Indian Idol for example), Alka Yagnik may seem a bit passe. But she remains one of the best when it comes to expression and even now, two decades into her career, the maestro Rahman keeps returning to her!

For me, the song is around 7.5 in difficulty. But Alka's expression and feel takes it up to 8.5. But then because she didn't do the aalaap or brathing as well as she could have, I'll reduce it to an 8. This singing is well above the average of what we see in Bollywood, but does not reach the heights of all-time historic performances.

To finish, I'd like to quote the music reviewer Atta Khan's review of this 'Yuvvraaj' soundtrack (slightly edited for brevity by me):

"After that minor blip, the soundtrack diverts itself onto the SOUL of Yuvvraaj with the utterly spellbinding Tu Muskura. The cello marks a sensational return. The cello play is underpinned by a percussion that hypnotises you soothingly from the start and keeps you firmly in a trance until the very end. As if that wasn't enough, the allure of a previous melody (belonging to Tu Meri Dost Hain) sweeps past you briefly as Rahman magically weaves it into the song via the deft strings of Seenu's Mandolin play.

And yet, we have not even discussed the true catalyst of the song. So many have written her off but Rahman as we know, is loyal to his singing dynasty. And so marks the return of an old favourite: Alka Yagnik. Well in my opinion it will be a travesty if she is not nominated for the best female playback singer (award) for a performance that is as mesmerizing as the musical backdrop that she sings against. She is simply a transformed singer here, sometimes unrecognizable and from recollection, her last performance of such magnitude was Rang Hai (Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities) which confirms the mastery of ARR over his singers. Javed Ali did a great job in Jashn-e-Bahaara but plays second fiddle here to the bewitching vocals of Alka. Gulzar's lyrics grab your inner soul and churn out what is left of your emotions… WOW! This is definitely one step closer to musical heaven….you could quite literally waste away hours, even days listening to this soul stirring masterpiece!"

An out-of-this-world composition! So subtle, so beautiful!

This song clearly indicates that how much mature Alka ji's voice has turned from her earlier song. There is as such no problem of pitch except in a few places. The softness to this song is rendered by Alka ji, no doubt. It creates a magical vibration in the ears. The expression is quite apt, but I felt that it could have been more passionate for which I will deduct one mark. Overall, a wonderfully sung number, not much flaws to observe. This track makes you fall in love with the voice, it clearly indicates the versatility of Alka ji. She has the ability to tune your mind into a certain transcendental mood. Good job!

It is quite beautiful singing from Alka ji. So, from my side this song will get a 9 out of 10.

I just loved this song...I cannot imagine anyone else singing this one...she has given a very personal touch to this song...just loved it....so its a 9 from me!

wow. someone actually rated her a 1? 😳

Originally posted by: simi_1

hate the start and the finish of the song where it goes high pitch, the pitching was not all good and part of first half sounded like recitation

thank god the song got better half way through and immediately fell in love again with alkajis sweet voice and perfect rendition there

well i really dont want to give this more than 5.5 or 6 will come back to this after i listen to the other singers

i agree... for me, it is a 5 out of 10... alka has sung amazing songs, but i was very disappointed with her rendition in this one...

one of my favorites by the trio

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H77SWBi8t-o&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

8 from me!! lovely composition and great voice modulation..!

I love listening to this song with my eyes closed. Its truly blissful. It is really sad, how can a person be so rude to give her a 1. Its a very beautiful song indeed & deserves a 9 ofcourse.

Beautiful rendition by Alkaji! Such soulful singing, Tu muskura is one the best songs of Alkaji! I want to give her a 9.5, wanted to deduct .5 coz might be a little more perfection was needed. But I am giving Tu muskura a 10! And I just hope alkaji makes a comeback & we always get to hear her sweet voice.