The music of Nikhil Advani's movie 'Salaam-E-Ishq' is undoubtedly out of the ordinary. The composer trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have woven enchanting melodies with influences of Scottish and Afro-Caribbean music. Yet the Indian touch is never smothered in the compositions. Lyricist Sameer too rises above his normal standard and writes songs in simple words without attempting to be overtly poetic.
'Salaam-E-Ishq' is the second movie by Nikhil Advani after his successful 'Kal Ho Na Ho' that was produced under Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. 'Salaam-E-Ishq' has six love stories running parallel to each other. The movie's cast ensemble is quite terrific : Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Akshaye Khanna, Ayesha Takia, Govinda, Shannon Esrechowitz, Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar.
The album opens with the musically delightful 'Dil Kya Kare', a soft and soothing number with Afro-Caribbean elements in its music. Adnan Sami sings Sameer's romantic words in a very mellow voice. The best part about this composition is that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (SEL) do not stuff it with too many sounds. Only lilting notes of guitar dominate the music along with drumbeats.
The second song 'Saiyaan Re' steers the album on to an altogether different track. The number is a qawwali with an element of western fusion to it. The song also introduces new female singer Shilpa. However, Shankar Mahadevan (as singer) dominates the number, while Shilpa gives him good support on the microphone. The song's main strength is its melody.
SEL refrain from further experimentation and stick to their trademark style in the third song 'Mera Dil'. Beautifully sung by Shaan and newcomer Nihira, the song is a full-blown romantic number with candyfloss feel.
The movie's title song 'Salaam-E-Ishq' is a befitting tribute to love. SEL make a remarkable use of Bagpiper with Indian dholki in this profusely melodious number sung by a host of singers including Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghosal, Kunal Ganjawala, Sadhna Sargam and Shankar Mahadevan. This is the best composition in the album. It catches on you instantly in the very first hearing.
The upbeat mood continues in the following number 'Tenu Leke', a Punjabi song with a Caribbean flavour. Sonu Nigam sings the number with full gusto. This is a Baraat song, picturized on Salman Khan with a marriage procession at some of London's breath-taking sites.
While the music album of 'Salaam-E-Ishq' does not feature any remixes (and quite thankfully so), it does have a modern version of the classic song 'Babuji Dheere Chalna' originally sung by Geeta Dutt for 'Aar Par'. Newcomer Nihira does justice to this song by singing it with skill and right attitude.
The album ends on a rather sad note with Kailash Kher's melancholic number 'Ya Rabba'. The song's words dwell upon the pain one faces in love and Kher beautifully renders the song without going over the top.
On the whole, the music of 'Salaam-E-Ishq' is one of the best to have come out of Bollywood recently. The songs are refreshingly original in their composition, they are not over-stuffed with loud sounds, and they carry an emotional appeal.
