There is wide dispute among film buffs about whether to consider
Aamir or Dev.D as the debut album of
Amit Trivedi. Though Dev.D was his first film as a composer, Aamir was released first due to Dev.D's production delays. Despite this, the highly creative nature of Dev.D reflects the delicate undertaking that an artist performs in his first act, and is thus the right contender as
Trivedi's debut album. Yet
Aamir can still be considered as a well-crafted preface to Dev.D. Critically acclaimed and showing underlying signs of a great commercial composer,
Aamir does not match the genius of Dev.D, but it still captures the essential elements of
Trivedi's style and ingenuity. "Ha Raham (Mehfuz)" is a Sufi-styled album opener with Murtuza Qadir's impeccable vocals and shades of
Rahman in the song composition. The album highlight is "Phas Gaya (Never Mind)," which also best encapsulates the urbane, youthful, and mature style of
Amit Trivedi that listeners would hear throughout the subsequently released Dev.D. He also imports two tracks from the soundtrack of Khuda Ke Liye -- the techno spiritual masterpiece "Allah Hoo" and the '80s pop-styled "Bandya."
Kailash Kher is credited here with two of his songs, "Chhap Tilak" and "Dilruba." ~ Bhasker Gupta