'Black and White's soundtrack is another successful journey for two old partners in their respective fields - Subhash Ghai as entertainer and Sukhwinder Singh as a singer. In fact, this soundtrack compensates for what they have lacked in all of their works in the past. The highlights of the track are: Careful use of instruments and their relevance to the situation. Incidentally, Sukhwinder Singh has unveiled his secret tunes in Ghai's 'Black And White' and thus shown that he could match an occasion and make a dent in the industry. His 'Joyi Aaya' is excellent and should not be treated as a rehashed version of another Rahman song. In 'Joyi Aaya', Singh has excelled with his classical alaaps and high-pitched renderings and Sadhana Sargam being the lead female singer has touched the hearts of the audience with her tender vocals. Thus, this semi-classical number turns out to be a sheer delight to the mind and to the ears. From the chorus to the smallest orchestration details, the track is a must-listen. The quality of singers is reflected with the voices of Jagjit Singh, Sadhana Sargam, Shreya Ghoshal and Hans Raaj Hans. DJ Amyth probably remixes his best track in the super fast version of 'Joyi Aaya'. The shift in genre is blatant. DJ has taken due care of overlapping sounds, the racy male chorus and the voice effects.
The vocals of Sukhwinder Singh are the epitome in the slow-paced and raaga-based 'Main Chala'. The song progresses well with his high-pitched singing. The piano in the middle is pleasing. Shreya Ghoshal renders the rhythmic 'Main Chali' - which includes a thematic interlude and peaceful flute music. Her voice is an added value to the soundtrack.
A mehndi song in the form of 'Peer Manava' has Sukhwinder Singh and Shraddha Pandit in a rhythmic music all over. There is a catchy folk tune in the background and the female chorus gels well. The remixed version by DJ Amyth should have been better avoided, as it hasn't fared well.
'Haq Allah' is another excellent performance, which is blended with regular harmonium bits. The rhythm is rightly chosen. Sukhwinder Singh and Hans Raaj Hans have sprung a surprise with Singh's voice and the chorus. The fast-paced version is ordinary but the second by Sukhwinder Singh has gone well.
'Yeh Hindustan Hai' is an old hat though it has the voice of a good singer like Udit Narayan going waste. Jagjit Singh has fared better along with the flute work. This is indeed a treat to listen.
This is to recall that showman Subhash Ghai and Sukhwinder Singh have been collaborating since 1986 when Singh recorded 'Maine Rab Se Tuhje' for Ghai's Karma - which had music by maestros Laxmikant-Pyarelal. And then onwards both continued to work together even before the singer shot to fame after Dil Se (1998). Again under the baton of Laxmikant-Pyarelal in 1991, he rendered two songs for Ghai's Saudagar namely the solo 'Deewana Tere Naam Ke' and 'Saudagar Sauda Kar'. The peak of his career came in 1999 when A.R Rahman gave him four powerful numbers in the classic Taal; the energetic 'Ramta Jogi' with Alka Yagnik, 'Main Samajh Gaya' with the trained Richa Sharma, 'Kariye Na' in a powerful duet with Alka Yagnik again and the futuristic version of 'Taal Se Taal' (Western) - which remains one of best orchestrated number in Bollywood .
The challenges for Singh continued further with the underrated 'Yaadein' in 2001 where he gave another smashing rendition in the unsung 'Chanda Taare', composed by Anu Malik. In 2005, the talented Ismail Darbar and entertainer Subhash Ghai joined hands for the music of Kisna. 'Woh Kisna Hai' is one of the simplest and poignant numbers both from Darbar and Sukhwinder! Apart from this, 'Wohi Din Aa Gaya' and the spiritually acclaimed 'Aham Brahmasmi' are strong compositions and wonderfully delivered by Singh for the Subhash Ghai banner . again in 2006, he rendered two popular numbers 'Ankhiyon Se Gal Kar Di' and 'Bijuriya'. Sache Ashiq' was another track in which he provided his vocals. Again , both came together in Iqbal. It had two numbers composed by Singh and penned by none other than the showman himself like 'Khelenge Khelenge' and 'Paani'.
