Label: Big Music

Music: Adnan Sami

Lyrics: Sameer

Rating: 2.5/ 5

In Vikram Bhatt's soon to release thriller '1920', Adnan Sami has worked with deities of Hindustani classical music.

Known to be one of the finest singers India has produced, Pandit Jasraj has lent his voice to a commercial Bollywood film for the first time ever.

Parveen Sultana and Shubha Mudgal are the other greats who in their own style have added soul to Adnan Sami's compositon. One of the advantages of working with singers of this caliber is that the singers on their own improvise the songs with ease. For those who are tired of the peppy-beat Bollywood music should go ahead and grab this album, it's a sure shot breather for those looking for some quality change.

The album opens with Pt. Jasraj's Vaada tumse hai vaada, needless to say, this one's outstanding. Pt Jasraj's voice adds an essence to the melody which lingers for a rather long time. However, the lyrics of the song seem clich?©d with words like Vaada tumse hai vaada, Janmo ka, Pyaar Ka, Daard ka, Saathiya (so predictable). Jasraj is blessed with a rich, soul stirring and sonorous voice which can effortlessly traverse three and a half octaves! And one can have a taste of that especially when Pt Jasraj improvises over the word vaada. For those who didn't know, besides being a fantastic singer, Pt Jasraj is equally good with the tabla. Parveen Sultana sings the same song later in the album with a slight bluesy sound – her extraordinary rendition is equally outstanding.

Sung by Shubha Mudgal, Bichua has a folkish sound. The song starts with a catchy guitar intro, followed by thumping percussions, the song is used as an item number in the film. Mudgal's bassy voice stands out, no matter what she sings. The song has good bass line, if you pay attention to the nuances of the song, Shubha's clear pronunciations adds a certain flavor. The deep Sarangi sound has been used throughout to enhance the classical tone of the album. However, the remix version seems like a filler. Bollywood's favorite playback singer Asha Bhosle takes over the mic in Aise Jalta hai Jiya – the song has a melodramatic feel to it. Besides the soothing Sarangi pieces, the song has aalaps by Pt Jasraj in background, the entire symphony is uplifting. Tujhe mein pyaar karu is sung by Kailash Kher, the raw earthy quality of his voice stands out, but one will agree that this is not Kailash at his best. The last song on the album is an instrumental called 1920 theme, which is the background score of the film. This score has minimal arrangements with just classical guitar and piano – simple, touching and melodic.