[pahwa]

The last two outings - Ranjhana and Jab Tak Hai Jaan were pure disappointment. Guess ARR has much more to come and its just a lean phase or the 'cheap stock' that was sold to directors who did not interested in bringing out the best from a composer.

A lot depends upon the director too. Average composers have given some great tracks when they worked with good directors. Same way ARR and other niche composers have also given some average score while working with some directors.

[vinair]

oh oh! the song 'kun faya..' from Rock star is a soul stirring one! So is the song 'Kwhaja Ali' from Jodha Akbar. I don't think A R Rahman has lost the midas touch, his type of music is more like a well aged whisky than a tequila shot.

[avingodb]

Guys, don't forget Meenaxi. That is also another timeless music from ARR.

[arnabchak]

@Pahwa

Listening to Jan Tak Hain Jaan gave me a feeling that the same has been composed by a tutelage of ARR and not by the master at all!!

Disappointing score that is not in sync with the film backdrop at all.

Originally Posted by avingodb

Guys, don't forget Meenaxi. That is also another timeless music from ARR.

My personal opinion...Meenaxi is nowhere among his best.

But considering what ARR is churning out right now, certainly seems like a "timeless" classic

Originally Posted by vinair

oh oh! the song 'kun faya..' from Rock star is a soul stirring one! So is the song 'Kwhaja Ali' from Jodha Akbar. I don't think A R Rahman has lost the midas touch, his type of music is more like a well aged whisky than a tequila shot.

It is a well aged whisky no doubt but then the oak barrel in which the whisky is aged, seems flawed right now

Kun Faya and Khawaja are great tracks and I agree to it completely.

Soul stirring and impactful-Emphatic Yes!!

But if you consider the entire album, Jodha Akbar would still be just fine.

Rockstar may not be amongst his best works though.

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[Chipz]

I had the same though some days ago. AR fanboys are always making noise about his music on facebook, but it is definitely not what we expect from him. Hope he find his lost touch soon.

[Blue_V]

He used to use a lot of indian musical instruments before. Thats where his appeal came. Now I don't see him using the instruments.

[_raVan_]

I agree that some of his recent numbers has not set the charts on fire, but still, there were tracks in his new albums which were great (Jiya re - Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Tu mun shudi - Raanjhana, Nenjumkulle - Heard it on MTV Unplugged, Jagao Mere Des - Coke Studio, etc). Personally, I dont think he has lost his touch. When he has this much potential inside him, why would he be using the same formula time and again? Instead, he can use his ability to explore and experiment with new variants (Azeem-o-shaan Shehensha - Jodha Akbar, Jai Ho - Slumdog, etc). It need not be successful, but atleast he has not left the stone unturned. It is his experimentation that resulted in him enter Hollywood and even win 2 oscars! I believe there is no other music director in this world who has explored, experimented and came out with as much success story as ARR. On a side note, there is even a wiki page created just to list the number of awards he has won: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...y_A._R._Rahman

No one in Asia has ever used the Musical instrument Continuum Fingerboard. Yet, ARR used it, practiced on it and came out with its 2 minute instrumental piece in Rehna Tu of Delhi 6. He is the first music director in Asia to ever do it. He even used the Shehnai very very effectively in Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera of Swades.

From his personal interviews, we can sense that he is not someone who will sit back and relish his trophies. He is a very humble and down to earth person who still works hard. There are some who tries to keep up with the times and there are some like ARR, who tries to show the current generation something new and different.

I happened to be in his Live Concert in Pune and I must say, he is a living legend.

As for new successful entrants like Amit Trivedi and others, give them 20 more years and lets see if they have in them to create more good music. Do not forget that even Himesh Reshammiya had hit a first ball 6 with Aashiq Banaya Aapne, but repetition of the same thing tends to overshadow what he has accomplished. Please do not get me wrong, I sincerely love their work and I know for sure that they are here in the industry to stay and leave a mark. Also, I am not a ARR fanboy, I just love his work and respect what he has achieved. His songs of 90s reminds me a lot of my childhood days.

OT: This song still makes me stop on my tracks and listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjMs_imWkFM

[Gannu_1]

Close to 2 decades now and this one still gives me the goosebumps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvQbZNT8eeU

[rrsteer]

After listening to 'Pataka Guddi' from the motion picture 'Highway', my answer to the question asked in the thread is an emphatic NO.

This song has just so many levels to it. The song makes me swoon when I hear it in isolation, yet it is most situational. When you watch the movie you realize how fit it is for the stage of the movie, that it comes in. The truck is crossing through Punjab at that time, and this song has that superb rustic Punjab touch to it. Its beats and tone are liberating - depicting the status of the female lead at that time. Yet the music combines with the lyrics to produce a sense of apprehensiveness & loneliness - somewhat reflecting the state of the male protagonist. Finally, the treatment is unmistakably that of a song played on the road by truck & bus drivers of North India.

What really baffles me, is how can a person sitting in Chennai (who is not even comfortable speaking in Hindi) produce a song which feels totally at home in the radio of a truck driver in Punjab? If that is not Midas touch, what is?

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

After listening to 'Pataka Guddi' from the motion picture 'Highway', my answer to the question asked in the thread is an emphatic NO.

This song has just so many levels to it. The song makes me swoon when I hear it in isolation, yet it is most situational. When you watch the movie you realize how fit it is for the stage of the movie, that it comes in. The truck is crossing through Punjab at that time, and this song has that superb rustic Punjab touch to it.

Highway does have a great touch too it.

You are correct that it has many layers and in the film, the implementation is pretty subdued.

Yet, i beg to differ that even Highway does not qualify as an album where in all/most of the songs are ARR Class.

[jailbird_fynix]

I think the tweet speaks for itself.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by _raVan_

No one in Asia has ever used the Musical instrument Continuum Fingerboard. Yet, ARR used it, practiced on it and came out with its 2 minute instrumental piece in Rehna Tu of Delhi 6. He is the first music director in Asia to ever do it. He even used the Shehnai very very effectively in Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera of Swades.

Sanadi Appanna in Kannada with Bismillah Khan saab himself having played soundtrack is better.

I think he is sparingly giving good numbers so that he wont be spent at a time. He might be playing a longevity game. But even he is not in the same league as great masters of yore where they could give multiple chartbusters in a single movie and keep doing it for decades.

[SID2997]

AR Rahman is still in the game. Its just that his technique has evolved to become more global and contemporary. A peek into his coke studio works indicates that his creative juices are still flowing. He is the only genius who can create a seamless confluence between the technology and art of music production.

[narayans80]

As an 80s born Tamil, who spent his pocket money as a teen on his cassettes (still have his first 25 movies or so). Even songs in obscure movies likes Pavithra and Pudhiya Mannargal used to be great. He had a knack for finding voices: Minmini in Chinna Chinna Aasai, Caroline in Thee Thee, Shobha Shankar in Margazhi Poove, Anupama in Chandralekha, Sandhya Jayakrishna in Poo Kodiyin Punnagai.

I also love his soundtrack work. Thiruda Thiruda is among the most memorable ones for me. Infact Thiruda Thiruda theme ranks higher on my list than Bombay Theme (which also found its way into Lord of War). Swades is another I loved, Aayo Re anyone?

Padayappa was the first among many disappointments, by the time cacophonies like Baba and Parasuram came in 2002-3 I lost interest.

Swades, Vinnaithandi Varuvaya and some one hit wonders are what I remember in the last 15 years.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by arnabchak

IGreatest contibutions :

- Roja
- Bombay
- Rangeela
- Dil Se

No love for Taal?

I don't exactly go looking AAR songs. Someone will always tell me about his good songs. However, not recently. I do wonder sometimes what he has been doing. One reason could be that channels like Spotify and Youtube has introduced so many new avenues for listening to music from all around the world. For example, I have been tripping on Dimash Kudaibergen songs non-stop since a month.

And ARR may be producing songs differently these days, and many of us are still prefer his 90s hits.