>From this month's FilmScoreMonthly magazine-
The Best of A.R. Rahman ***
Music and Magic From the Composer of Slumdog Millionaire
A.R. RAHMAN
Legacy 88697 49115
14 tracks - 73:40
It was bound to happen. Shortly after the raging success of A.R. Rahman’s music
for Slumdog Millionaire,
music labels begin to clamor to release (and re-release) some of his
other music to capitalize on a window of opportunity. The result here
is a collection of some 14 songs from a host of films spanning the past
decade; the tracks will be unfamiliar to anyone who doesn’t follow
Indian cinema. The selections are taken from eight of Rahman’s albums,
the earliest being from 1997.
This disc reveals the composer’s
amazing gift for melody and an updating of songs to reflect a more
global pop market. The performers on display include familiar Indian
singers Shreya Ghoshal and Asha Bhonsle, among other popular names.
Rahman’s work is well crafted and a major staple in the Indian music
scene. That said, those listeners not attuned to the nuances of Indian
music might navigate these songs with some degree of awe or confusion. —Steven
A. Kennedy
