Amul Doodh Peeta Hai India (Jingle review)

It always gives any writer immense pleasure when he/she gets material to review which seems right from the outset has only word spelt all over it - absolute WINNER!

My posting today - Amul Milk - Aage Badta Hai India (TVC) has been doing the rounds of the airwaves for quite sometime now. And its hard to give this one a miss.

Amul  has an incredible tradition and legacy of advertising in India. Who could ever forget Kunal Ganjawal / Ranjit Barot's iconic Doodh Doodh Doodh Doodh Wonderful Doodh jingle back in the 90's.

Amul Milk - Aage Badta Hai has India's incredible but unassuming songstress / diva combine literally crooning away to glory in this instantly catchy and zippy presentation.

With an active uptempo vibe along with a snappy beat -  the music production / arrangement has a simplistic and youthful appeal.

Apologies to repeat but Usha Uthup is in fine form on this one and can be seen (or rather heard) hitting all the notes with ease.

Lyrics bring home the message of eating healthy, having an active lifestyle and not forgetting the clarion call of  "Aaage Aage Badhta Hai India,  Amul Doodh Peeta Hai India" (India is making rapid strides and progress as India drinks Amul)

Thus ones sure to add some spunk in your life. Do give it a listen or two. As objective as I can be, -  the composer/ music producer in me cant really find any fault with this one. Highly Recommended!!

Rising Pune Supergiants Anthem "Dum Ka Naya Rang" review

Well its that time of the year. And you guessed it right. IPL 2016 is here - The great Indian circus of cricket returns.

Like with each edition, IPL 2016 too makes an effort in establishing a brand connect by using a heavy dose (read massive airplay / rotation)  of sonic branding (anthems, team theme songs, tvc's) across TV, Radio and Internet.

In this post we review the Rising Pune Supergiants Theme Song "Dum Ka Naya Rang" Anthem.

Sung by the very popular Mika Singh, the theme song opens with the strains of the traditional Maharashtrian tutari.

As a theme song for the Pune IPL Team this anthem expectedly has a strong Marathi / Puneri vibe to it.

The dhol tasha combination form the backbone of the rhythmic arrangements while adding a distinct traditional and local flavour to the song. Distortion heavy power chords fuse effectively in the background.

 The noteworthy let-down on the arrangements front is the use of traditional Punjabi style dhols (did the composer/ producer lose focus and forget this was an Anthem for a Maharashtra based team!!) towards the end which takes the sheen away from an otherwise interesting soundscape.

Lyrically the song tries to forge a positive and motivational connect with the listener with the central message being - lets aspire and inspire.

The usually reliable Mika makes a half-hearted effort here. His unflattering nasal intonation fails to pack a punch. Probably a more robust, open throated voice was what was required to add some "Dum" to this one.

Music Composers are often challenged with unenviable task of creating Anthems.
Despite having an ascending contour of melody (generally the norm for anthem like songs) this effort somehow disappoints. It still remains to be seen what kind of recall value the Dum Ka Naya Rang‬ Anthem possesses.