It&s ironic that the most recognized album of AR Rahman is not his best work For many Rahman fans Slumdog Millionaire is not exactly the sound that they attribute to him His Bollywood successes are designed as playback songs rather than as background scores Thus with the additional element of vocal melodies his past accomplishments weigh heavily in public perception of his incredible music While it very well deserved the enthusiastic applause at the Academy Award & Golden Globe ceremonies Slumdog Millionaire will ignite lesser fervor in someone who has followed Rahman&s music closely over the past two decades It still has the all-pervading signature sound of Rahman with its brilliant percussion ominous electronica & somber crooning yet it displays a more hurried pace in contrast to his more subtle offerings in which music serves as a colorful canvas behind beautiful vocal portraits What&s more interesting with this album is the flash of experimentation that wouldn&t have been possible in a Bollywood album -- minimalist electronica with