A.R. Rahman Albums (14)
'Slumdog Millionaire'
Release Date 12/23/2008
Tracks 13
Label Interscope
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It's ironic that the most recognized album of A.R. Rahman is not his best work. For many Rahman fans, Slumdog Millionaire is not exactly the sound that they attribute to him. His Bollywood successes are designed as playback songs rather than as background scores. Thus, with the additional element of vocal melodies, his past accomplishments weigh heavily in public perception of his incredible music. While it very well deserved the enthusiastic applause at the Academy Award and Golden Globe ceremonies, Slumdog Millionaire will ignite lesser fervor in someone who has followed Rahman's music closely over the past two decades. It still has the all-pervading signature sound of Rahman with its brilliant percussion, ominous electronica, and somber crooning, yet it displays a more hurried pace in contrast to his more subtle offerings, in which music serves as a colorful canvas behind beautiful vocal portraits. What's more interesting with this album is the flash of experimentation that wouldn't have been possible in a Bollywood album -- minimalist electronica with "Riots," acid jazz with "Millionaire," and big beat with "Liquid Dance." Rahman packs this album with his usual well-credited crew, including Blaaze for the hip-hop-styled "Gangsta Blues," Sukhwinder Singh for album highlight "Jai Ho," and Suzanne for the lighthearted "Latika's Theme" and "Dreams on Fire." The most talked-about addition in the list of singers here is M.I.A. She delivers exciting vocals on the opening theme "O... Saya." The album also includes an original song from M.I.A.'s Kala album, the hit "Paper Planes" (also here in a special remix), as well as the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composition "Aaj Ki Raat" from the film Don. The success of Slumdog Millionaire's music can be traced back to the success of the film, and while the world was late in noticing Rahman until Slumdog Millionaire remedied that situation, listeners should explore his other offerings -- both past and, one assumes, future -- that could be considered more highly deserving of accolades. ~ Bhasker Gupta, All Music Guide
'Godfather: Tamil Movie Soundrack'
Release Date 3/1/2006
Tracks 9
Label Agi Music
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What The Critics Say
The soundtrack of One 2 ka 4 does not provide much excitement and except for "Haye Dil Ki Bazi Laga" sung by Alka Yagnik and Sonu Nigam, most of the songs fall below average especially when a maestro like A.R. Rahman is involved. Even the title track is an unlikely Rahman number and most other are just ear pleasing easily forgettable array of songs that seems to have been composed intermittently while preparing for his bigger hits. One 2 ka 4 falls in a relatively dry period for Rahman in Bollywood - between 1999 (Pukar being the last hit) and 2004 (starting with the success of Meenaxi); with sporadic hits of Lagaan and Saathiya in between these years. But what's appealing here is the selection of high profile singers like Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sukhwindher Singh, Ragheshwari, Clinton, Shaan, Sreenivas and Poonam Bhatia with lyrics penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri and Mehboob. Besides, a mentionable Les Claypool styled bass slap-pop in "Osaka Muraiya" elevates the whole lively feel here. On a whole, the soundtrack of One 2 ka 4 is unpolished, fractured and denotes a career low-point for Rahman. ~ Bhasker Gupta, All Music Guide
'Between Heaven and Earth'
Release Date 5/4/2004
Tracks 15
Label Sony
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Zubeidaa: Story of a Princess'
Release Date 11/28/2000
Tracks 15
Label Sony International
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The king of Indian filmi scores strikes again! A.R. Rahman has become famous for his balance of East and West, but with Zubeidaa he raises the bar. With more melodies than you can shake a stick at, he creates a lush series of songs that remain ineffably Indian at their core, but which are also fleshed out by Western studio techniques (drum loops, samples, synthesizers) and instruments (guitars). And the eight cuts which comprise the album might be the most memorable of a remarkable career. From "Dheeme Dheeme" to the glorious "So Gaye Hain," there are thick soundscapes for the vocalists, who perform excellently on the material. Although it's fair to say there's no such animal as a bad Rahman composition, this truly takes a quantum leap in its studied blend of sounds and ideas, where Western harmonies in the orchestra are happily juxtaposed with Indian vocals melodies and rhythms for what becomes a sound of real global appeal. If that were the sum total of the disc, it would be ample, but a second CD offers the Hits of A.R. Rahman, seven separate film themes performed live -- many of the tracks also appear on the Live CD issued at the same time by Sony. While so many of the filmi composers are simply cheesy, messily and incongruously Cuisinarting ideas together, Rahman stands head and shoulders above the crowd. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
