Patiala House Music Review: Patiala House: Patiala Peg Of Spirited Sounds

This might sound odd, but for the past few decades, the single district of Southall has come to define popular Punjabi culture more than any other place in the world. The West London suburb is home to one of the largest congregations of Sikh immigrants in the world outside the Indian subcontinent; so much so that even the street signs in the district carry directions in Gurmukhi. The suburb has been the breeding ground for some of the biggest names in Punjabi pop music to emerge in the past twenty years; artistes like Rishi Rich, Jay Sean, Juggy D and Kuljit Bhamra call Southall home.

Thus, it was only a matter of time before a Bollywood obsessed with everything Punjabi tuned into the Southall channel. Thus, you have 'Patiala House', the first Bollywood biggie set in the area. The Akshay Kumar starrer revolves around an Indian cricketer bred in Southall trying to make it in the English national squad against the wishes of his 'desi'patriotic father, played by Rishi Kapoor. The film also stars Anushka Sharma and Dimple Kapadia.

A home production for Akki, the film features music by B'Town trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy, while Anvita Dutt handles lyrics. The film is SEL's fourth outing with director Nikhil Advani, who also featured the trio on his past outings, 'Kal Ho Na Ho', 'Salaam E Ishq' and 'Chandni Chowk to China'.

Expectedly, the album features a heavy Punjabi flavour. What SEL try to do with the album is to incorporate as much of the Southall flavour as they can into it. Whether they succeed in that is a subjective idea; but what there's no two ways about is that SEL deliver a cracking musical offering here.

The album opens up with 'laung da lashkara', a track that is already picking up quite a bit of airplay as one keys in this review. The peppy number features 'dil le gayi' pop star Jassi in his element, accompanied by Mahalakshmi Iyer. Rapper Hard Kaur also lays down some of her trademark rhymes on the number. The dhol heavy love song has the trademark SEL sound, reminiscent of their 'pretty woman' from Advani's 'Kal Ho Na Ho'. Anvita's Punjabi meets Hindi meets English lyrics too incorporate a similar feel. The track is the very definition of a foot tapper and makes for a great start to the album. The number is also remixed later down the roll by Harry Anand to give it an even peppier feel, kitting it out for the dance floor.

After the energy of the opener, it is a bit odd when 'kyun main jaagoon' takes the pace of the album several notches lower. But one cannot help but be taken in by the track. Shafqat Amanat Ali's brilliant vocal range is perfect for this quiet, unfurling number. Dutt pathos filled lyrics warrant close attention and are perfect for the sports flick that 'Patiala House' aims at being. Though arranged sans embellishments, the track's piano led melody is captivating at its best. The number is reprised in an acoustic guitar laden unplugged version that retains the feel of the original. The song is also featured in an interesting beat heavy remix by the Asian Dub Foundation, though it doesn't quite flow with the melancholy mood of the number.

'Rola pe gaya' is the film's take on the Punjabi wedding classic 'mehndi ni mehndi' to which Anvita Dutt and SEL add their own creativity. The number opens up with a chorus of the wedding original, before Hard Kaur kicks with her hard rhymes and Shankar Mahadevan and Mahalakshmi Iyer step in. The track is an upbeat party number that could prove popular in the next wedding season. Master Saleem and Earl deliver the quirky sounding 'rola pe gaya' chorus. The track's lively arrangement and the energy the vocalists bring in make this one a winner. Harry Anand also succeeds with his peppy remix later down, where he manages to craft a sound that sets it apart from the original, a real dance floor favourite.

The album seems to have a formula to follow, as after the energetic 'rola pe gaya', it once again downs the pace with 'aadat hai woh'. Pentagram frontman Vishal Dadlani is stellar in his delivery on vocals here, superbly controlled in his highs and lows. Anvita's lyrics, romantic, though not mushy, go perfectly with the seriousness evoked by the string led arrangement on this superb track.

Suraj Jagan and Alyssa Mendonsa are an interesting combination on 'baby when you talk to me'. Anvita's lyrics are a quirky mix of romantic Hindi, Punjabi and English, all of which Suraj and Alyssa deliver without slipping out of their pop sensibilities. The track's sound, in melody and arrangement is evocative of mid '80s synth pop, an infectiously happy number. Andrew T Mackay's later remix only enhances this '80s feel, without unnecessarily turning up the pace.

'Tumba tumba' is a personal favourite on the album, if only because it brings in Punjabi great Hans Raj Hans on vocals. Hans Raj delivers the funny, romantic wedding track in his trademark 'Sufiana', 'qawaali' style and Shankar Ehsaan Loy choose to keep the track 'desi' in arrangement as well, focussing on the harmonium, the 'ektara' and 'dholaks'. The track starts out quiet, gathering pace steadily before wrapping in a frenetic crescendo of Hans Raj's refrain and a loud chorus. Though Anvita's lyrics are situational, Hans Raj Hans' presence makes this one shine.

The soundtrack's originals wrap up with Richa Sharma's flawless delivery of 'Aval Allah', the Sikh devotional. The track is a quiet, soothing, beautiful end for the album, and one can imagine how the recording might be used in the film itself.

As a whole, one can see that Shankar Ehsaan Loy don't quite capitalise on the Southall currency for the 'Patiala House' album. Still, while it would have been interesting to see Bollywood's take on contemporary Punjabi pop, SEL don't fail Nikhil Advani, continuing their streak of delivering their best for the director. Anvita Dutt too is top notch on the lyrical side of things.

Overall, the soundtrack is refreshingly non formulaic in its sounds, with an enticing mix of both Hindi and Punjabi genres and one can safely see some of the tracks playing in a steady loop on the airwaves this coming season. Shankar Ehsaan Loy's 'Patiala House' is 2011's first must listen!