Rang de Basanti - Rehman disappoints again

I listened to the songs of the recent hit Rang de Basanti (imdb). I must admit i am disappointed with rehmans work - yet again.

I first listened to his work in Roja (in tamil - a language i do not speak) and i must admit i was spell-bound. The songs from the film - the ones in tamil, to date remain high on my recent favourites list. I watched the young lads music journey with great expectations. I have seen increasing use of electronic sounds in music. With Yuva (2004), he stepped into an era where the singer voice is simply drowned by the surrounding electronic din (sigh..). The numbers are catchy - i admit, but the soul is missing.

I found Lagaan(2001) a refreshing change from the film music released around that time. It also re-awakened my expectation from him - could this mean he's back? Sadly, with the recently released Rang de Basanti (2005) he's dashed those hopes as well. I know .. i know he's gotten rave reviews for his music in this film - but it is my individual opinion that they are a step backward for him. Amongst all the songs, the only one which barely manages to be acceptable is the title song sung by the energetic Daler Mehndi.

So, if you are looking for the music which you can listen and forget within 10 mins of walking out of the theatre - then thats the film for you. And yes, did anyone get a chance to hear the lyrics?