Dev Dhillon, one of the strongest vocalists in Aman Hayer’s entourage, follows up his summer singles, “Hor Nachna” and “Ankhi,” with Mulakaat. Produced entirely by Hayer, the eight track album showcases Dhillon’s vocal prowess as he sings over plush productions and also some surprisingly rustic beats. Although the album doesn’t truly have a hit track to elevate it above the other releases of late 2012, Mulakaat is nonetheless a pleasing effort from the duo of Dev Dhillon and Aman Hayer, as they deliver an almost filler-free Bhangra product, which is saying a lot.
Opening up with the Latin flavored “Kunjiyan,” Dhillon evokes the spirit of Jazzy B’s forgotten 2008 tune “Ashiq.” Although the attempt at cross-cultural fusion is appreciated, the experimental production and Dhillon’s vocals form a dissonant relationship, and it’s definitely a poor choice to initiate the album with this particular track. However, Dhillon follows up the ill-conceived opener with “Ankhi,” a typical Aman Hayer production glorifying Punjabi munde and catering to the dance floor. After “Ankhi,” the record quality significantly improves as the duo drop the dulcet title track, which covers the ballad department just fine and should have opened up the album rather than “Kunjiyan.”
As the fourth track “Jatt De Mashook” settles in with Dhillon paying homage to his rifle, Hayer’s productions become more traditional, enhancing Dhillon’s vocals as he begins to drop bangers like the abovementioned ode to bundooks, featuring a strange electronic loop that gives the track the extra bit of oomph it needs but sounds like it belongs on an old NES game; “Ankhan,” the supreme highlight of the album as Dhillon unleashes a vocal clinic; “Giddha,” providing some much needed material for giddha teams, and the overlooked, previously released “Hor Nachna,” which deserves another shot at glory.
Mulakaat is an above-average effort from Dev Dhillon, but the skilled vocalist is capable of so much more. If the prolific Hayer applied a more elemental approach by relying on rawer sounds, which he does towards the second half of the album, and if Dhillon was gifted lyrics from the immortal pens of legends like Jandu Littranwala and Bhulla Ram Chan or some very talented newcomers, the Aman Hayer camp would surely have a classic in their discography.
