Film: Bhool Bhulaiyaa Director: Priyadarshan Music Director: Pritam Lyrics: Sameer Producer: Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar Cast: Akshay Kumar. Shiney Ahuja, Vidya Balan. Paresh Rawal, Amisha Patel, Rajpal Yadav Rating: 3/5 Surprise, surprise… it sounds original! Coming from Pritam’s stable, one can’t help but harbour certain preconceived notions about the nature of music. But it’s worth mentioning that this time the composer has something creative – be it right music, right compositions and perfect singers. The album comprises 11 tracks offering good variety, but also lacks consistency. It’s balanced, zingy and sounds just right – Bhool Bhulaiya’s title track has it all. The music is unheard of and the angrezi phrases are well placed. The market today is thronged with songs that thrive on English verbiage and end up sounding foolish making no lyrical sense, but this one sounds fantastic. Neeraj Sridhar is the new find in the playback arena. After crooning Heyy Babyy’s title track with finesse, this one feels effortless. Sameer has something different to offer this time, especially with ‘hare Ram hare Krishna,’ in a different tone. Once again, the music creates magic. ‘Labon Ko’ is a soothing romantic melody. KK is known for his solo vocalization and he certainly carries a song on his shoulders. In bits and pieces he sounds like the Pakistani sensation Atif when he strikes the lower notes. Sayeed Quadri’s lyrics fit the typical mushy bracket. Special mention of the flute’s resonance in the interim which enriches the track. The remix attempt of ‘Labon Ko’ by DJ Kiran, DJ G and Earl sounds strictly okay. The feel lent to this song is soft but the remix version has forced and weird sounds to it and the result is off key. ‘Sajda’ is a fine blend of upbeat tunes and KK’s vocalization. But the opening music sounds akin to Jaaneman’s ‘Ud Jaana’ composed by Annu Malek. Barring that, it has all the elements to top one’s play list. Music post the first verse has been weaved really well and KK’s excellent tone spruces up the feel. DJ Suketu mixes ‘Sajda’ and it’s rather surprising that the man who is well versed with the techniques dishes out a mediocre product. The new rendition has nothing great to offer.  ‘You rock Soniye’ may seem to bear resemblance with some existing track, but it’s different. Though the pattern may be repetitive, the treatment is quite appealing, and that’s what matters. Shaan adds extra spice with the twists and turns in his voice. Tulsi Kumar complements his voice. But… but…but, in the end note of every verse, the track sounds exactly like Dhol’s title track. Ah, so Pritam did get inspired from his own creation. ‘Sakhiya’ is a typical girl song and doesn’t sound very distinctive. Tulsi croons this one too. The variations in the notes and vocalization are not bad. The second verse sounds very shabbily done and her voice doesn’t fit the bill. Lyrically too, it’s strictly okay, very insistent. In bits it sounds good, the music goes on other level. ‘Mere Dholna’ is a treat for classical music lovers. Though it’s not an out and out classical piece, it does have a mod touch to it, but it’s a break from the usual stuff on the block. Shreya Ghoshal’s sweet voice does total justice to the lyrics and M.G.Sreekumar also sounds very graceful. The music is very pleasing and the variations are interwoven well. ‘Allah Haifiz’ by K.K is ho-hum. The beats are good but it sounds a bit monotonous, hence doesn’t offer anything great. 

Not a comprehensive album though, this one is recommended especially for Bhool Bhulaiya, it’s worth the money!